Life After High School Is It Scary? You Bet
by Risty and Silver
Summary: The Sequel to High School. A Teen's Best Friend. Yeah Right. AU fic *Now Complete*
1. Reunited (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own them 'cept our characters…damn.  
  
Summary: WooHoo! A sequel! I dunno where it's going, so there's no summary!  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
My name Jamie Shadow. At least, that's who probably know me as. In three days, I will officially be Mrs. Jamie Baggins. I finished High School about three weeks ago. Now, I've moved to Hobbiton, leaving my best friend ever, Emma and her fiancée, Boromir. My other friends, Billee Deamae, and his brother, Colan had been successfully adopted by our old Principal, Elrond. Legolas Greenleaf, Billee's boyfriend, is keeping him company at school. It's another week-and-a-half before the rest of the school finishes for the year.  
  
I was expecting most of my friends to come today. I know Emma, Boromir, Billee, Colan, Legolas and Elrond were already on their way here. Arwen would be coming soon, with her boyfriend, Aragorn, We didn't need to worry about Reesa, Blue, Sam, Merry or Pippin. Because they all lived in Hobbiton.  
  
Frodo now owned Bag End, which had been his Uncle Bilbo's house. A rather big hobbit-hole for just the two of us. But we would be getting lots of visitors soon. Bilbo had moved to Rivendell to be with his friends in the Elfish community.  
  
I heard a few short clip-clop of hooves outside and I ran to the window. There were Emma, Boromir, Elrond, Billee, Colan and Legolas. "Frodo! They're here!" I called and opened the door for them.  
  
"Emma!" I threw myself at her into a hug. She laughed. Then I hugged everyone else. "Come on in!" I led them into our cozy little home. Soon, we were sitting around the table, drinking tea or coffee, and chatting about what everyone had been up to for the past couple of weeks. I had missed them all terribly. But three days from now, I would be happily married and still have friends. Emma was going to be my matron-of honor. The rest of the girls who had been our 'table-buddies' at school were my brides maids, and Blue's little sister Wendy, was going to be my flower girl. Sam was going to be Frodo's best man and the rest of the guys, were going to be the groomsmen. Including Billee and Legolas. Colan was going to be the ring bearer. Some people might thing it's strange that I asked two gay guys to be groomsmen, but, as I had proved to Indigo last year, if anyone, and I mean anyone, tries to put insults on my friends, gay or straight, they will deal with my fist. I was very touchy about the subject. They had been good friends to me, and I wasn't about to let their sexuality get in the way of that friendship.  
  
"Frodo, how can you? In three days you won't be a free man anymore!" Said Billee, grinning.  
  
We all laughed. Elrond started telling us what had happened since we had left. Gandalf had been annoying the spit out of everyone, so Emma had gotten up the courage to do what I had done too many times to count last year, she had put a notice on the wizards back. But not just ordinary notice, one that had points on what he does.  
  
*Shaves his legs  
  
*keeps a Dildo in the medicine cabinet.  
  
*prances around like the amazing poof he is, wearing a full length gautier sequin, heels and a tiara.  
  
I burst out laughing. So did everyone else at the table. It was true, Elrond was good for a laugh. He didn't like Gandalf very much because he was so annoying, and didn't even get angry at Emma. In fact he found it quite hilarious. Probably because she wasn't in school anymore, so he couldn't give her a detention.  
  
  
  
Later that afternoon, I was sitting in my favorite spot, a low hanging branch of a tree. I just sat there looking at the sun set when Emma came and sat next to me. We stayed silent for a minute. Then she asked me the simple question.  
  
"Are you happy?"  
  
"Sure I am, but, I'll tell you one thing… I'm scared."  
  
"Really? Why?"  
  
"Well, two things really. One, because I'm getting married in two days…and two, because…because I'm pregnant."


	2. A Surprising Message (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own them 'cept our characters…damn.  
  
Summary: WooHoo! A sequel! I dunno where it's going, so there's no summary!  
  
**************************************************************************** ****

When Jamie told me the news, I didn't know what to say. I was really pleased for her, but I was still shocked. 

"Does Frodo know yet?" I asked finally, simply because I couldn't think of anything else to say. 

"I haven't told him yet," she admitted. "I only found out myself yesterday"

"Are you pleased?" I asked next. She nodded.

"I am," she said with a small smile. "But I'm scared too. Everything is happening so quickly. It makes me wonder if I'm going to be able to cope"

"I'll always be here for you" I told her, giving her a hug. "And so will Billee. He's always been good with little kids"

"I know," she said. "But it's just so sudden. Especially with the wedding and everything"

"It'll be just fine," I promised her. "You have all your friends with you. We aren't going anywhere"

We sat there in silence for a bit longer, until the sun had completely gone down. Then Frodo came out and I slipped back inside to give them a chance to be alone. I went into the living room where Legolas, Billee, Boromir and Elrond were sitting round the table playing some card game and Colan was playing with Laddie in front of the fire. Over in the corner, Aragorn and Arwen were kissing and whispering to each other. I sat on Boromir's lap and gave him a quick kiss. Billee whistled and slammed his cards down on the table.

"I win," he said, smirking. "Come on, pay up"

Slowly, with a lot of complaining, the other three handed over their money. Billee pocketed it and grinned at Legolas, who smiled back. It was a nice scene.

Glancing out of the window, I could see Jaime and Frodo talking quietly. I hoped that Jamie had told him about the baby.

"Hey, where are we all going to sleep anyway?" Legolas asked. "This place hasn't got many bedrooms has it?"

"Nope" Billee said quickly. "I think Aragorn and Arwen are sleeping down here, Elrond's sleeping in the small spare room and the four of us and Colan are in the big room. We get the double bed, because we have to have Colan in with us"

"So we're stuck with a single bed, I take it?" Boromir said with a shrug. "Hey we'll manage" 

All talking stopped as the guys resumed their game. Finally after two rounds, I grew bored of watching them.

"I think I'll go and check out our bedroom," I whispered to Boromir. He glanced at me and winked. I slipped out of the room and two minutes later, he followed me upstairs.

We were quite a while up there; well we both like to take our time. When we finally got downstairs again, Frodo and Jaime were in from the garden. Jamie looked at me and smirked, while Billee just shot me a knowing look. I checked that all the buttons on my shirt were done up and sat down next to Jaime. 

Two minutes later, there was a loud knock on the door. Colan, who was holding a cup of hot chocolate, spilt it all down himself and began to cry. As Billee tried to comfort him and Jamie cleaned up the mess, Frodo answered the door. He came back a moment later, looking puzzled. 

"There's some hobbit guy out there," he said slowly. "Says he has a message for Billee and Emma. He wouldn't talk to me, wanted to speak to you personally"

"I'll go see what he wants," Billee said, giving Colan to Legolas. As he stood up and went to the door, I went after him, curious to see what this was all about.

The hobbit standing at the door was one I'd never seen before. He certainly wasn't anyone we knew.

"What do you want?" Billee asked. "You have a message for us?"

"Billee Deamae and Emma Silverblade?" he asked. When we nodded, he gave a smile and took a piece of paper from his pocket. "Some strange guy in Bree gave me five gold pieces to bring this to you" he said with a shrug. "I don't know what it's about"

"Do you know who this guy was?" I asked. The hobbit shook his head. 

"No miss" he told me. "Never seen him before in me life. He just grabbed me, asked me to do something for him, told me your names and where you'd be and sent me on my way. I never even saw his face properly"

"Okay, thank you sir" Billee shut the door and looked hard at the paper. Finally, he opened it. The message inside was short and written in barely legible writing.

Emma and Billee

Can you please meet me in Bree as soon

as possible. There are things we must discuss.

I will be in the Prancing Pony.

That was all. No name, no signature, nothing. But we both knew who it was from. And we both knew what we had to do.  We went back in and told the others that we were riding to Bree that night because a friend was in trouble. Boromir and Legolas both wanted to come with us, but we told them that we had to go alone. They weren't happy, but they accepted it once they realised that we were not going to change our minds. Elrond tried to talk us out of going since it was so late, but Billee insisted that we had to. After promising Jamie and the others that we would be back as soon as we could, we mounted Flamedancer and Starlight. With Laddie running behind us, we set off to Bree, not completely sure what we were getting ourselves into.


	3. A Game of Poker and two new visitors (Ja...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own them 'cept our characters…damn.  
  
Summary: WooHoo! A sequel! I dunno where it's going, so there's no summary!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Emma and Billee went off to Bree to met their mysterious caller. I hadn't told Frodo yet… but I was going to, went I got over the shock myself. Legolas, Frodo, Boromir and Elrond were having a game of poker. Not much money, just food. I held Colan in my lap while I watched them. The kid was so sweet. My own collie dog sat at my feet, rolling around her old tennis ball. Casper. That was her name. Strange name for a girl dog, but, that's what you get for letting twins name your dog. The poker game finished a few minutes later and I handed a sleeping Colan over to Legolas, who took him up to the bedroom to put the little guy down for a nap.  
  
I beckoned to Frodo. He followed me outside and out to the garden bench. I sat down myself with him next to me.  
  
"What's wrong, honey?" he asked. I smiled.  
  
"I have something to tell you…"  
  
"What? What's wrong?"  
  
"Y-you know that night we were walking in the gardens at school, about a month and a half ago? And we went to our secret spot?"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"Well…Umm… I'm pregnant, Frodo."  
  
Frodo sat there, before realisation slapped him in the face. "I'm going to be a father?"  
  
I nodded. Frodo jumped up and picked me up and spun me around. He seemed so happy. He was laughing and crying at the same time.  
  
I laughed. He led me back into the house. Elrond and Legolas were talking about something. I don't know what. Frodo whispered in my ear. "We'll tell them at the reception, okay?"  
  
"Okay." I whispered back. Boromir walked in from playing fetch with Casper. He smiled at us and went to sit by the fire. There was a knock at the door. I got up to answer it. There was Arwen and Aragorn. I smiled and invited them in. Arwen went straight to Elrond and kissed his cheek. "Hey daddy."  
  
"Hello Arwen." Said Elrond, smiling at his daughter.  
  
I went into the kitchen with Frodo. I began dinner while Frodo got beverages ready.  
  
  
  
During dinner, which was baked chicken and salad, we told everyone what had been going on for the last three weeks. Nothing much had happened. But what had, we retold and laughed about all the funny things that had happened while I had been moving in to Bag End. Like when I had taken in a rather heavy bag and opened it up, only finding not clothes, but Sam's little brother, Graham. Sam had so totally gone ballistic. Frodo and I had been rolling on the floor laughing. That, of course, had been before I found out I was pregnant. As we talked, I hoped Emma and Billee would get to Bree okay. 


	4. An Old Friend (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own them 'cept our characters…damn.  
  
Summary: WooHoo! A sequel! I dunno where it's going, so there's no summary!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

We rode as fast as we dared towards Bree. We were in a hurry but it was dark and we didn't want to injure our horses in any way. We didn't speak at all, focusing all our energy on riding. 

We got to Bree in an hour, which is pretty good going really. Having such fast horses meant that we could use shortcuts and that helped a lot. We were both anxious to get to the Prancing Pony before it got too late.

When we got there, we stabled our horses and went inside. It was actually fairly quiet, just one or two humans and a few hobbits. As we looked around, a black-cloaked figure in the corner of the room stood up. I glanced at Billee and he nodded. We went over to him and he gestured to us to sit down.

As we sat down, the figure drew back his hood. He looked at us for a minute and we looked at him.

"Damon" Billee was the first to speak. "Its you"

Indeed it was our old friend. Damon Darkshield had been best friends with Marcus and we all used to hang around together. However, since Marcus died, neither Billee nor me had seen Damon. We were both shocked at how much he had changed. His face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. He badly needed a shave and there was a large, recent bruise on his jaw. Under his riding cloak, his clothes were torn and grubby. It looked like he had been sleeping rough. 

"Hey kids," he said weakly, forcing a smile. "It's been a long time"

"It has indeed," Billee signalled to the landlord and the man came over immediately. He ordered three drinks and three plates of food. Damon shook his head, but Billee insisted.

When the food came, Damon asked what Billee and me had been doing for the last three years. We told him everything, leaving nothing out. He smiled to hear about Billee and Legolas and my engagement, but he wasn't pleased to hear about my suicide attempt. 

"So that's all about us," I said finally, pushing my plate away. "What about you?"

"Me and the family went to Gondor to find work," Damon said slowly. "Course I didn't get very far. Had no education, did I? No one wanted to employ my brother or me. We did odd jobs and earnt just enough to stay alive, but then my mother, she went mad again. Landed herself back in hospital. That was a year ago, she's been there ever since. My younger brother, he killed himself, a few months back. Got kicked out of me house, started living on the streets. I turn to thieving and stuff to survive now"

Billee and me sat there in silence. We had no idea what to say. We knew that Damon had a tough life, his father died when he was very young and his mother is mad. She has been in and out of hospital since I was a little girl. So Damon and his brother were constantly being shifted from relative to relative until they finally refused to have anything to do with Damon anymore. But to lose both of the people you care about and to end up on the streets, well that was worse than anything either of us had been through. 

"I'm sorry Damon," I said finally, reaching across the table and gently touching his hand. "I don't know what else to say"

"It doesn't matter," he said with a shrug. "Lots of people in my position, they just feel sorry for themselves. Not me though, I just get on with it. It's the only thing I can do"

We sat in silence for a while after that. I turned my head away from the two of them, not wanting them to see the tears sliding down my cheeks. When Damon spoke again, his voice was low and serious.

"I asked you to come here," he said carefully. "For two reasons. Billee, you remember Sol-leks, don't you?"

"How could I forget?" Billee replied at once. "I think about him often"

"He still whines for you" Damon told him. "He's outside somewhere. I want you to have him. I can't keep him any more, he's too much for me to handle"

"He has wolf blood in him" I said slowly. "He's dangerous. And he hates people"

"He likes the pair of you" Damon pointed out. "And Colan. I love him very much, but he belongs with you"

"I'll give it a shot," Billee agreed with a sigh. "But we're staying with friends at the moment. I'll have to keep him away from them until we leave. What was the second thing?"

"I had a visit from your dad, Emma" Damon said quietly. "That's where I got the bruise from" Slowly he brought a hand up to touch his cheek. "He was completely off his head. Was ranting and raving about you being a good for nothing whore and Billee being a stupid little loser who couldn't keep his nose out of other people's business. Said you were completely out of control and he'd find you if it was the last thing he did."

"Shit" Billee told my hand and held it tight. "I should have known that he wouldn't give up"

"I'm never going to get away from him, am I?" I whispered. Billee sighed and shrugged.

"It's gets worse," Damon said sadly. "Have you met Boromir's parents yet?"

"No" I shook my head and then realisation hit me. "He hasn't…"

"They are pretty well known in Gondor" Damon said carefully. "They have a lot of money and power. A man I know works for them. He told me that your dad went to visit them and asked them to keep Boromir away from you because you were crazy and needed to be locked up. I tell you, I really wanted to hunt him down and rip him to pieces when I heard"

"I can't believe he did that," I whispered. "Why can't he let me go?"

"I thought you should know" Damon continued after a minute. "In case he managed to track you down and tried to cause trouble for you"

"Thanks Damo" Billee said with a small smile, using Damon's old nickname. Damon gave us a ghost of a smile. "If there's anything we can do for you in return…"

"Well" Damon glanced down at the table. "Don't worry if you can't help, but I've…well I've got some people on my back. I…I need a place to stay for a day or two. Somewhere where they won't think of looking"

"I don't know Damon" Billee said slowly. "Are you…are you involved in illegal dealings?"

"I was, yeah," Damon admitted. "That's why these people are after me"

"Well" Billee and me exchanged a look. I knew what he was thinking. Jamie would be happy to take him in for a few days, but not if her or Frodo knew that they were harbouring a criminal. 

"Come back with us" Billee said finally. "Jamie will let you stay for a while if we tell her you're homeless. But we can't say anything to anyone about you being a criminal. Emma, we can't tell Boromir, Legolas, Elrond or anyone"

"Alright" I felt kind of guilty, after all I had promised Jamie that I wouldn't lie to her again, but as far as I could see, we didn't have any choice.

We went out to the stables and mounted our horses. Damon had a small horse, which he referred to only as 'Blackie'. Then he gave a whistle and a large wolf bounded out of the trees. When he saw us, he stopped and sniffed the air before running up and rubbing noses with Laddie. 

"Hello Sol-leks" Billee said, grinning down at the wolf. "You certainly have grown"

Sol-leks went mad at the sound of Billee's, running around and howling as we rode out of Bree. It was very, very late, but none of us particularly wanted to stay in the Prancing Pony overnight. All we wanted was to be back at home with our friends.


	5. A Good Laugh (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own them 'cept our characters…damn.  
  
Summary: WooHoo! A sequel! I dunno where it's going, so there's no summary!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
It was late into the night when I heard the rapid clip-clop sounds of horses. I could tell at once it was Emma and Billee, but they had another person with them. I got out of bed, and walked to the front door. I opened it and ushered Billee, Emma and their friend in. We sat by the fire to keep warm, it had grown a little chilly.  
  
"So, did you find your mysterious caller?" I asked, handing around mugs of hot chocolate.  
  
"Jamie, this is Damon, he is a friend of ours and he's been kicked out of home, he needs a place to stay."  
  
"Well, Frodo and I would be glad to let you stay, Damon, but would you mind doing a bit of light work? Just helping around the house?"  
  
"No, I wouldn't mind that, I guess."  
  
I petted Casper and scratched her behind the ears when she put her head in my lap. "Good, because, if Emma and Billee haven't told you, Frodo and I are getting married in two days, we need all the help we can get."  
  
"Well, congratulations, I'll be willing to help."  
  
"Thank you. Come with me Damon, we don't have much room to spare, but I can give you the little room that used to be a gardeners quarters. Will that suit you?"  
  
"It will do just fine, thank you, Miss Jamie."  
  
I smiled. "Jamie, just call me Jamie."  
  
  
  
The next morning, I woke up to Frodo bear-hugging me. It made me giggle.  
  
"So you're awake, are you?"  
  
"Now I am, you silly sod. Your fault."  
  
"Well if it's my fault, I should get a punishment, shouldn't I?"  
  
"Well, let's see, what kind of punishment would that be?"  
  
In answer Frodo pulled me on top of him…  
  
  
  
Later, when Frodo had received his 'punishment', we went downstairs together, Emma was sitting in Boromir's lap, talking. She looked up when we entered and quirked her eyebrow. So now we were even. I went to one of the many pantries and got out some breakfast for myself and Frodo, even though it was almost lunch time.  
  
I looked out the window as I prepared brunch and saw Colan and Wendy playing with Laddie and Casper. I sighed, thinking. Frodo wrapped his arms around my waist.  
  
"Anything wrong?"  
  
"No… just thinking about Stacey and Tracy, they said they were going to come and stay with some friends they had here. And Jake, Baz and Julia are coming from Midgewood this afternoon. Merry's family said that they'd love to have them stay. After all, A wedding is a big thing in Hobbiton, isn't it?"  
  
"Just like Bilbo's and my party." Frodo chuckled. "As long as there is food and drink and a good dance, anyone will come."  
  
"I still can't believe that Bilbo and Gandalf are friends."  
  
Frodo shook his head in disbelief. "I know, it's actually kind of scary. But that damn wizard does have some good fireworks in the back of that cart."  
  
I stared at him, my sick mind taking over, and I began laughing. He realised what I was laughing at and started laughing to.  
  
"That DID NOT come out right, at all." I gasped, tears of mirth running down my face. Emma came in, possibly to find a drink.  
  
"Oh look at that, you're killing eachother already." She said with a smile. "And even before you're married, too."  
  
At that, Frodo and I began to laugh again. I don't know what was wrong with us, maybe I just hadn't had a good laugh for a very long time, and it was all bottled up, waiting to come out. But it was good to laugh. Very good. 


	6. Emotions are funny things (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own them 'cept our characters…damn.  
  
Summary: WooHoo! A sequel! I dunno where it's going, so there's no summary!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

I woke up early the next morning. Quietly, so as not to wake Boromir, I got dressed and knocked on Billee's door. Colan answered, rubbing his eyes.

"Hello Emma" he said. "Billee's still asleep. Can I come downstairs with you?"

"Course you can" I scooped him up in my arms and he giggled. "But everyone else is asleep so we'll have to be very quiet"

"That's okay," he said thoughtfully. "I always had to be quiet when I was living at home"

"Well, you only have to be quiet until the others wake up" I told him. "Then you can play with Wendy again. You like Wendy don't you?"

He nodded, still too tired to be talkative. I carried him downstairs and sat him at the kitchen table. Aragorn was still asleep too, I could hear him snoring. Very quietly, I made Colan some eggs. While he was eating, I fed Laddie and Casper, and then sat down to eat some toast. Looking at the clock, I could see that it was very early indeed so it was no wonder we were the only ones up. I figured that after Colan had eaten his breakfast, he would go back to sleep again. He often did that. 

When he finally dropped off at the table, his head in his arms, I decided to leave him like that. I couldn't face taking him all the way upstairs again. 

Suddenly, the kitchen door opened and Damon came in. He looked at Colan and grinned.

"God, he's grown" was the first thing he said. "Is anyone else up yet?"

"Nope" I shook my head. "Do you want to have a shower or something? I show you were it is if you like"

"That would be great," he said sleepily. "I'd forgotten how nice it was to sleep in a bed. Beats the floor"

"I'll bet" I smiled, but I couldn't quite meet his eyes. The truth is I've always had a bit of a thing for Damon, ever since I was a kid. After he disappeared, I managed to block my feelings out, although I had never completely forgotten about him. And now all those hidden feelings were coming back. 

'Forget it' I told myself firmly. 'You love Boromir and he loves you. Damon is just your friend. That's all'

"Emma?" Damon sounded vaguely amused. "Are you okay? You went a bit spaced out just then"

"I'm fine," I said, just a little too quickly. "Come on, I'll show you where the bathroom is"

He just nodded and followed me upstairs without another word. I paused outside the bathroom. 

"Here we go," I told him. "If you hold on a second, I'll get you Boromir's spare razor and some of Billee's clothes. You're lucky you are so skinny"

"Not my choice" he said with a laugh. "That's what living rough does to you"

Quickly I got him the razor and some clothes. Legolas was half awake when I went into their bedroom but he was too busy biting Billee's ear to say anything. They make a good couple, I must say.

After I gave Damon his stuff, he just stood there for a moment, smiling at me. 

"I can't believe how much you've changed," he said quietly. Slowly he brought his hand up and gently touched my cheek. A shiver went through my whole body; I didn't expect his touch to still have that effect on me. And even though I knew it was wrong, I desperately wanted to kiss him. Luckily a loud squeal of pain brought me back from my senses. Almost shoving Damon into the bathroom, I ran downstairs as fast as I could.

A terrible sight greeted me as I went back into the kitchen. Laddie was chasing Casper around, growling horribly at her. Her left ear was bleeding badly and was dripping blood all over the floor. Colan was crying loudly. I had to act quickly. 

Firstly I called Laddie over while trying to comfort Colan. In the end, I had to give the poor kid some biscuits. Works every time. Then I had to go after Casper and examine her ear. While I tried to keep hold of her, she bit me on the wrist. She was really terrified, poor little dog. Not that it was Laddie's fault. She shouldn't have approached him on his blind side. Luckily her ear wasn't hurt badly. I was pretty relieved since I didn't really want to have to explain to Jamie why her dog only had one ear or something. At the same time, I was glad that the dogs had chosen that moment to fight. I knew that I would have to ensure that I wasn't alone with Damon again, just in case.

By the time Damon came down again, Billee, Elrond, Boromir and Legolas were all up. Aragorn's snoring had been replaced by the sound of giggling, which I knew Elrond was trying hard to ignore. I don't know how Arwen could do it. Have sex with her dad sitting in the next room. I couldn't do it, it would be way to embarrassing. 

"Morning Damo" Billee said with a smile. "Sleep well?"

"Yes thanks" Damon replied softly. He looked a lot better now that he was clean and my heart gave a leap. I gave Boromir a kiss, feeling guilty for my thoughts. 

"So who is this?" Elrond inquired. Billee introduced everyone. Colan hesitated for a minute, and then overcame his shyness.

"Are you Damon who used to tell us monster stories?" he asked. Damon grinned and nodded. Colan jumped out of his chair and gave Damon a big hug. I must say I was impressed with the kid's memory. He was just a baby back then, about four years ago. Yet he still remembered. 

Jamie and Frodo came down just before lunch. Billee, Legolas and Damon had gone out to the stables with Sol-leks. That stupid wolf had taken to Legolas right away, much to our surprise. But Billee hadn't brought him inside yet. He said that it was far too dangerous, especially with so many people. Elrond was sitting out in the garden with Colan and Wendy who were playing with Laddie and Casper. Only Boromir and me were inside. They went out to one of the pantries and a moment later I heard them both laughing. Boromir smiled and starting nuzzling my neck. Normally I like him doing that, but today I just couldn't get into it. I really needed to get Jamie alone and discuss it with her. I trusted her and I knew that I needed someone's advice. 


	7. Lunch and Everybody arrives (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own them 'cept our characters…damn.  
  
Summary: WooHoo! A sequel! I dunno where it's going, so there's no summary!  
  
**************************************************************************** *********  
  
After my total laughing fit in the pantry, Frodo had to go and do some things in town. Emma looked at me.  
  
"What's up?" I asked, knowing she wanted to ask me something.  
  
"I need your advice on something…"  
  
"Uh huh… I'm guessing by the look you're giving me, you're having guy troubles."  
  
"How'd you know?"  
  
"Emma, I've known you for five years…six even."  
  
"Why is it I always forget that minor detail?"  
  
I shrugged and grinned. "I have no idea. So what's the trouble, bubble?"  
  
"It's Damon. I've known him since I was a kid…and I've always had a bit of a thing for him…"  
  
"But you're engaged to Boromir and you don't think you can hack it, right?" I said, finishing off her sentence.  
  
"Yeah. How do you do that?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"That thing where you finish off my sentence?"  
  
"Emma, I have twin sisters, where do you think I learnt it?"  
  
"Oh. Well. I'd better go see that Boromir's not getting into trouble."  
  
"Emma…don't worry about it, okay?"  
  
"All right, I'll see you later."  
  
  
  
Later when Frodo came back, everyone came in for lunch. Or should I say out. We had lunch in the back yard, it was such a nice day. Everyone else came too. Julia, Jake, Baz, Stacey and Tracy had come from Midgewood that morning. Everyone got together, Frodo, Me, Emma, Boromir, Aragorn, Arwen, Elrond, Colan, Billee, Legolas, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Blue, Wendy, Reesa, Julia, Jake, Baz, Stacey and Tracy all got together at one of the long tables that were going to be used for the reception party.  
  
Emma was next to me. She was telling me in an undertone what had happened while Frodo and I had been upstairs this morning. Arwen and Aragorn had been…enjoying eachothers company while Elrond and everyone else had been in the next room. I almost fell out of my seat from laughing so much.  
  
After lunch, I sat on the grass, while Casper laid her head in my lap. She was such an affectionate dog. I think I must have fallen asleep against the tree I was leaning against, because next thing, I woke up in bed. Frodo was sitting next to me. Just sitting there watching me sleep.  
  
"Welcome back to the land of the living."  
  
I smiled. "What's the time?"  
  
"About six. You've slept for most of the afternoon."  
  
"Really? Being pregnant must be taking its toll."  
  
"Just think, day after tomorrow, we'll be on honeymoon."  
  
I laughed. "I can't wait. Love."  
  
Frodo smiled. "I love it when you laugh. It's so cute how you scrunch your nose up the way you do."  
  
"Well thank you for confessing you're marrying me for my nose."  
  
He laughed and began tickling me. I shrieked with laughter and ran down stairs, getting tangled in the blankets and falling before I even reached the door.  
  
"Help me! My future husband is after me!" I shrieked and ran into the kitchen and blocking Frodo's view of me by hiding behind Emma. 


	8. Betrayal (Emma)

Life after High School. Is it scary? You bet 

By Risty Maskell and Silver15 

Disclaimer: Nope, not ours 

Summary: What you asking me for? I don't know 

*************************************************************************** 

While we were all gathering around the table, I saw Damon slip out with Sol-leks and Laddie at his heel. I turned and started to go after him, but Billee shook his head. 

"He'll be back later" he said. "He knows that he has no place with our friends. He told me that himself" 

I could understand that. I wouldn't particularly like being around a group of people who I didn't really know. And Damon has always been known as a loner who isn't great with many people. I knew that he would go for a ride or something, probably coming back late in the evening when he could be sure that everyone was gone. 

"That's great" I said, maybe just a bit to enthusiastically. Billee gave me a strange look and I turned away as I saw Boromir approaching. "I meant that it's great that he can do his own thing" I continued quickly. I was relived that I wouldn't have to see Damon for a few hours. I could just concentrate on being with Boromir. At least, I hoped I could. 

"Don't worry about him, Emma" Billee told me as we walked over to Jamie, Frodo and Legolas. "Damon can take care of himself" 

I smiled to myself. Billee obviously thought that I was just worried in case Damon ran into trouble. If only he knew what I was really thinking... 

We had fun that day, all of us together again, and for a while, I completely forgot about Damon. When it started to get dark, Tracey, Stacey and the others left and Billee took Colan upstairs to bed. Aragorn and Arwen disappeared too, no prizes for guessing where to. The rest of us; me, Jaime, Frodo, Elrond, Legolas, Boromir and Billee, when he finally came down, sat around the table going over the wedding plans again. Although Jaime didn't say anything I knew she was worried that either her dad or my dad would turn up and cause trouble. I was worried about that too, my dad always picks the worse times to give me grief. 

"Well look whose back" Boromir said nastily. Me and Billee looked around and saw Damon standing by the back gate. Laddie barked and came running over to me. 

"So just because you are a spoilt, rich brat, that makes you better than everyone else, does it?" Damon asked calmly, looking Boromir straight in the eyes. They stayed like that for a second, their eyes locked and their bodies tense. I really thought that they were going to hit each other and I could see that Jamie was thinking the same thing. Boromir was the first to lower his eyes. 

"You aren't worth it" he muttered, and we all gave a sigh of relief. Damon looked at him carefully and shook his head, before turning and walking away. I scowled at Boromir and ran after him. I heard Boromir mutter something, but I didn't look back. 

Damon is good at hiding when he wants to be left alone and although I looked everywhere I could think of, I couldn't find him. I was hurt that he would hide from me, after all I was one of his only friends. I looked in the stables but Blackie was still there so I knew he hadn't gone far. 

Without telling the others where I was going, I slipped out through the back way and found myself on a deserted back path. It was badly lit and I felt slightly afraid. Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me and I froze. 

"Damon" I called softly. "Is that you?" 

In reply someone grabbed my hair and forced my head back. I struggled but I couldn't do anything. 

"Finally" said a voice I knew all to well. My father. "I've found you. You're coming back with me, you little whore" 

I kicked out and caught him in the shin. He yelled and loosened his grip slightly. By struggling I managed to get out of his hold, but he struck again, back handing me in the face. His blow knocked me off balance and I tasted blood as my head slammed violently into the wall. My father raised his hand to strike me again, but he didn't get the chance because suddenly Damon was there in front of me. 

"Leave her alone, you pervert" he spat angrily. "You aren't wanted around here, so get lost" 

"When are you going to learn to keep your nose out of other peoples business?" my father shot back. "She's my daughter and I can do what I want with her" 

"Like hell you can" Damon told him, his fists raised. "Well you'll have to get through me first. Want to try?" 

"I'll be back" my dad warned. "I'll be back and you'll all be sorry. I can promise you that" 

He turned away and hurried off. Damon helped me to my feet and put his arms around me. 

"It's alright" he whispered. You are going to be fine. Just fine" 

"He'll get me" I whispered, beginning to cry. "I know he will. How did he find me?" 

"I don't know" Gently Damon steered me to a tree and sat me down. Then he sat next to me, still holding me tight and whispering rude things about my dad under his breath. 

"My head hurts" I said slowly, after I had finished crying. "What's he done to my face?" 

"Your bottom lip is swollen up" Damon said softly. "And you have a bruise on your cheek" 

"But Damon. It's...It's the wedding tomorrow. I can't be in the photographs looking like this" 

"I think you look beautiful" he told me quietly. I looked up at him and our eyes locked. Slowly he leant forward and our lips touched just for a second. Then Damon pulled away, looking ashamed. 

"I'm sorry" he whispered. "I shouldn't have done that" 

"It's okay" I told him softly, gently stroking his cheek. "It's fine" 

"Emma, I can't. You're engaged to be married..." he shut up when I pulled him to me again. "Don't worry" I whispered between kisses. "No one will find out" 

By the time we got back, it was late and everyone had gone to bed. Quietly, I went up to my bedroom and peered around the door. Boromir was lying on the bed, fully clothed, fast asleep. For a moment I felt disgusted at myself. I had betrayed his trust. 

I couldn't face sleeping by his side that night so I started to go back downstairs. On my way passed the bathroom, I noticed Boromir's razor. It had been weeks since I had cut myself, but now I needed to. More than anything. I pulled up my sleeve and made three deep cuts in my arm, before continuing downstairs. 

I sat down at the kitchen table and looked at my engagement ring. I was deeply confused and I wasn't sure what I wanted. I thought I loved Boromir, but now I wasn't so sure. I had absolutely no regrets about sleeping with Damon apart from the fact that Boromir would be devastated if he found out and I didn't want to hurt him. I liked Boromir a lot, but I wasn't sure that I was ready to marry him. 

Finally as the sun began to rise, I made my decision... 


	9. The Wedding (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own them! Mwahahaha! Oh sorry…I was looking at the figurines I've got…  
  
Summary: Hell, if I knew, I'd tell ya, but, I don't so don't ask.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
I woke up the next morning with the sun shining on my face. It was an important day. I tried to remember what was going on, then I remembered. It was my wedding day.  
  
I glanced at Frodo and gently poked him in the ribs to wake him up. He groaned and rolled over, opening his eyes and looking at me.  
  
"Morning, Love."  
  
"Morning Darls." I smiled.  
  
We got up and went downstairs simultaneously. Elrond and Boromir were down already, eating a bit of breakfast. They looked up as we came in.  
  
"Well, good morning to you both." Said Elrond with a smile, taking his bowl to the sink and washing it up.  
  
"Good morning Elrond. Good morning Boromir." I said, smiling.  
  
Arwen came out of where she and Aragorn were staying, for once they weren't…oh well you get the picture.  
  
I raised an eyebrow at her and she just laughed. Emma came down, in her PJ's. She didn't look like she had much sleep. There was a knock at the door. I opened it and looked out. There stood Wendy, Blue, Reesa, Rosie, Sam, Merry and Pippin. Mrs. Gamgee was there too. She was my seamstress. I loved Mrs. Gamgee, she was kind of like my surrogate mother. Since my own mother didn't give a donkey's kick about me. All the girls ushered me upstairs, giggling madly as sixteen year olds on their first date.  
  
In all natural tradition, I was not going to show myself, until it was time for me to walk down the isle. Frodo wasn't allowed to see me. Also, I was wearing 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.' The 'something old' was an antique brooch, given to me as a wedding present from Mrs. Gamgee. The 'something new' was the new earrings that Arwen had given me. The 'something borrowed' was a bracelet that belonged to Blue, and the 'something blue' was in my hair, Mrs. Gamgee had decorated my hair with a load of beautiful baby blue flowers.  
  
When I finally got into my dress, the girls whistled.  
  
"Very niiiice, Jamie." Said Julia, who had come up after the rest of them. Emma gave me a hug.  
  
"I feel like I'm losing my best friend." She whispered in my ear. I gave her an extra tight hug. The other girls got into the identical bridesmaid dresses. And got their bouquets. It was only a matter of time, now. I peaked out of a chink in the curtains. The field where Bilbo usually hosted his parties was done up with a whole lot of chairs. And an isle down the middle. There was a soft knock at the door.  
  
"May I come in?" called Elrond, who was going to 'give me away' at the alter.  
  
"Yes, Elrond, you can come in." I called, and he walked in.  
  
"Well," he said, glancing at me. "I never knew such a tom-boy would scrub up so nicely."  
  
Arwen playfully glared at her father. "Daddy, that wasn't very nice."  
  
"I meant it as a joke, don't worry. Are you girls ready to go?"  
  
It was then I realised that he was wearing beautiful ceremonial elfish robes. I nodded and gripped Emma's hand. She gripped mine back and I walked down the stairs.  
  
The seats were filled to the limit, hobbits, elves and humans packed them. I had forgotten I had invited the entire school.  
  
The music started up from somewhere and the other girls began to make their way down the isle. I linked arms with Elrond and we began to walk slowly toward the alter.  
  
"Dearly beloved, we gather here together, to witness the marriage of Jamita Shadow and Frodo Baggins." Began the celebrant. He turned to Frodo.  
  
"Frodo, do you take this woman, Jamita Shadow, to love and to hold through sickness and health, for richer or poorer till death do you part?"  
  
"I do." Frodo uttered the two simple words and I was convinced he loved me.  
  
"Do you Jamita, take this man, Frodo Baggins, to love and to hold through sickness and health, for richer or poorer, till death do you part?"  
  
"I do." I said, my heart swelling with happiness.  
  
"Then I now pronounce you, Man and Wife." The entire crowd jumped up and cheered. I'm telling you, it was like graduation day, all over again. Frodo began to lead me down the isle as people threw confetti at us. Merry and Pippin threw rice at us, then Merry dumped a whole lot of rice onto my veil.  
  
It was time for the party, which I think everyone was looking forward to.  
  
Luncheon, was the start of it. Frodo and I sat together, happy as clams. Emma sat to my right and Sam sat to Frodo's left. Boromir sat on Emma's other side and Rosie sat on Sam's other side. We ate, drank, laughed and sang. It was by far, the happiest moment of my life.  
  
Frodo stood up. "Attention everyone." He said, and everyone quieten down. "we already have an announcement."  
  
I saw Emma grin slightly at me. I grinned back, we both knew what he was going to say.  
  
"Jamie and I, are expecting our first child."  
  
I knew everyone was smiling, although I had ducked my head, and I was blushing furiously.  
  
I lifted me head to everyone's 'Awww' and a round of applause.  
  
I jumped up. "Ah to hell with it! This is suppose to be a party! SO LET'S PARTY!!!!"  
  
Everyone let off a cheer. I saw Glorifindel jump up and grab his girlfriend for a dance. I smothered a laugh. I had 'accidentally' walked in on them when I was at school, they had been under the desk….snogging their brains out. I had hurriedly shut the door and run back to the dorm.  
  
That day, everyone got smash drunk, filled with food and most went to sleep in the field. As hobbits after a party usually do.  
  
Everyone of our guests went back to Bag End. They were going to have rotten hangovers the next morning.  
  
Frodo and I had already packed our bags for our honeymoon. SO we could make a quick getaway the next morning. We were going all around. But we were spending a little time in each of the places. Rivendell, Gondor, Rohan, Lothlorien, Mirkwood. Everywhere.  
  
The next morning, I woke Frodo early. We got our bags together, packed up the cart we were taking, along with Winsome and Snowflake. I left a note on the kitchen table where someone would be sure to find it, and off we went on our honeymoon.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Oh, a bit of a long one from me. But what the hell did you expect, huh? It is a wedding after all peoples! 


	10. Lost and Alone (Emma)

Life after High School. Is it scary? You bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Nope, not ours

Summary: No idea

**************************************************************************************************

I didn't really take much notice during the wedding. It sounds terrible, I know, but I just had too much on my mind. That morning I had woken up early and thrown up and I was feeling really ill. I also knew that I had to talk to Boromir, but I kept putting it off. I spent the whole day attempting to avoid him and I was sure that people were beginning to notice. Luckily Damon stayed out of the way, so that was one worry off my mind. 

It's really hard to put on a brave face when you are feeling so bad, but I tried as hard as I could. Jamie looked really happy and I wasn't going to be the one to spoil things for her. This was her day, hers and Frodo's and they both deserved it.

The celebrations went on until long into the night. Finally, after everyone had either fallen asleep or passed out on the ground, Boromir included, I slipped upstairs to our bedroom. I still couldn't face sleeping in the bed Boromir and I had shared so I wrapped the covers around me and settled down on the floor. I didn't think Boromir would come up that night, but if he did he would just have to freeze to death. 

In the next room, I could hear Jamie giggling. I knew then that I really had lost my best friend. Things could never really be the same now that she was married. Burying my face in Laddie's soft fur I sobbed, secure in the knowledge that no one could hear me. As I cried I felt another soft nose pressing against my shoulder. Sol-leks had heard me crying and had come to comfort me. I felt a bit better knowing that they were both there. With the two of them curled up against me, I fell into a restless sleep. 

I was the only one awake to see Jaime and Frodo off on their honeymoon. Although I tried hard to put on a brave face it was very hard for both me and Jaime. As soon as they had left, I ran up to the bathroom, threw up violently and collapsed on the floor in a pool of tears. My life was falling apart and I had just lost the one female friend who I could really talk to.

When I went downstairs, about ten minutes later, most of the other people were beginning to leave, most of them complaining about their aching heads. Boromir was still passed out on the sofa, but Billee, Legolas, Elrond, Colan and Damon were all seated around the table. Billee was giving Colan his breakfast, but none of the others were eating anything. I wasn't surprised since I knew that they had all been drinking heavily the night before. It seemed like I was the only one who had been spared, I don't like alcohol much so I had only had a couple of drinks. 

"So what time are we leaving?" Billee asked quietly, searching through Jamie's cupboard for some pain-killers. 

"I'm not sure" Elrond muttered, taking a sip of his extra strong coffee. "Early afternoon, I suppose. Once we are all up and recovered. Did Jamie give you her keys, Billee?"

"She did" Billee told him, holding up Jaime's house keys. She had told him to make sure that everything was locked up before we went and then give the keys to Sam. "What are you doing, Damon?"

"I'm going in a minute" Damon said softly. "I thought I'd go back to Silverwood for a while. People know me there and I could try to get a job or something. Besides, it'll be nice to see our old village again"

Silverwood was the place where we used to live. Billee, Colan and Marcus, me and Damon and his brother. I moved away two years ago, but I still remember it. I loved that place. 

"Emma, are you alright?" Billee said softly. "You are really quiet this morning"

"I'm just a bit tired" I told him. "Last night was a late night"

"Was it?" Legolas asked with a groan. "I can't remember it"

Elrond, Legolas and Billee took their pain-killers and we all sat in silence for a while. Finally Damon stood up. 

"Well, I think I'll be going" Damon said after a few minutes. "See you later, guys. Billee, I'll see you around. Lets not lose touch again"

"No, let's not" Billee agreed. "It's been good to see you again, Damo. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay" Damon agreed. "Emma, do you want to come and help me with my stuff?"

"Yeah, alright" I got up from the table and followed him to the stables. 

"Could you saddle Blackie for me while I go and get my bag?" he asked. I nodded and he left. He came back two minutes later, his bag on his back and took Blackie's reins from me. We stood facing each other for a moment, before he opened his arms and I flung myself into them.

"I'll miss you" I whispered against his shoulder. He gently stroked my hair.

"I know" he told me. "And I want you to know that I...I don't regret what happened the other night. If you ever need me, as a friend, as a lover, whatever, I will always be here for you. Do what your heart tells you Emma"

"Thank you Damon"

"It's no problem" Slowly he kissed me, first on the forehead, then gently on the mouth. "I love you darling. Take care of yourself"

"I will" I watched as he jumped on Blackie and rode away. "Goodbye Damon"

I watched until he was out of sight before going back inside. Of course, the first person I bumped into was Boromir. 

"Emma what's going on?" he asked gently. "You haven't been yourself for the last few days. You've been avoiding me"

"No I haven't"

"Yes you have. What's going on, Emma?"

Slowly I looked at him, knowing that I had to tell him. Slowly I slipped my engagement ring off my finger and put it on the table. 

"I'm so sorry" I said softly. "Boromir, I can't...I can't marry you"

I turned and ran off, not being able to bear the look of pain on his face.


	11. Would I leave without saying goodbye?(Ja...

Life after High School. Is it scary? You bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, not ours  
  
Summary: No idea  
  
**************************************************************************** **********************  
  
We rode slowly. The cart jolted every now and then and Frodo and I talked. I told him that we should go to the school first, just to wait for our friends. To properly say good bye. Frodo agreed. It was a long day and I slept for a while. Pregnancy was taking its toll. I was now in my second month and I had been getting rather bad morning sickness. Before we had left, I had thrown up a whole lot. Emma had asked if I were all right, and I had told her it was the pregnancy. She had looked pained. I knew she was going back to her old ways. I had my ways of knowing things. I knew she had kissed Damon. I knew she couldn't go through with the engagement. But, remembering the incident with Randy the previous year, I had let her be, thinking she would work it out herself.  
  
  
  
We made it to the school by early afternoon. We sat in the cart just having a good time…if you know what I mean. We were sharing one of those… husband and wife moments when we heard the sound of horses. We looked up to see Elrond, Billee, Emma, Boromir, Legolas and Colan all riding back into the stables. We hid in the cart. They came toward the front door of the dorm and I popped up. Emma looked really tired. But when she saw me, her eyes lit up and she ran toward me. We hugged for a long time.  
  
"You didn't think I would leave without saying a proper goodbye, would you?"  
  
It was then I realized Emma was crying. I looked toward the guys and the look in my eyes must have told them it was 'woman time, leave us alone' because they all went inside. Emma and I walked toward our secret spot.  
  
"Emma, what's wrong? You look so sad."  
  
"I-I can't go through with it… I can't marry Boromir. I just can't…"  
  
"Because you love Damon…"  
  
She nodded, still sobbing. She told me what Damon had said. I looked sadly at Emma.  
  
"You know, Boromir loves you with all his heart. You've known Damon a longer time than Boromir, but you haven't seen him in a very long time."  
  
"I feel really messed up. I've been throwing up a lot, I've gone back to cutting myself. I can't help it Jamie. I just can't"  
  
She cried into my shoulder. I patted her back.  
  
"Hey…hey, who was there for me when my grandmother died? You were. Who was there when I need to talk to someone? You were. Don't put yourself down."  
  
"I can't help it!"  
  
"Yeah you can. You control your own destiny. No one else."  
  
"But Jamie…"  
  
"No buts. You are going to get through this. And…you know I started that maternity course?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Well, that's how I found out I was pregnant."  
  
"You're not suggesting…"  
  
"Oh yeah. With all these symptoms your telling me about, I reckon you're carrying Boromir's kid." 


	12. A Friend in Need (Emma)

Life after High School. Is it scary? You bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Nope, not ours

Summary: No idea

**************************************************************************** **********************

(Billee's POV)

When Jaime finally came back, Emma wasn't with her. She told us that Emma just needed some time on her own. She had that right, all the way here; Emma had been quiet and withdrawn. Boromir looked upset too. I didn't know what had gone on but I could see that it was hard for both of them.

Finally Jaime and Frodo left for their honeymoon. Jamie hugged me tightly and told me to keep an eye on Emma. I promised her that I would. 

Not long after they had left, Boromir disappeared too. I gave Colan to Legolas and went after him. I found him in the stables, saddling his horse, his bag on his back.

"Boromir!" I called, running up to him. "Where are you going?"

"Home to Gondor" he replied sadly. "Let's face it, Emma doesn't want me here and it's too hard for me to be around her now anyway. If I go, it will give both of us some time to think"

"You are a wonderful man, Boromir," I told him softly. "She's very lucky to have you and I know that she will come to realise that in time"

"That's what I'm hoping" Boromir mounted his horse and looked down at me. "Because I will never stop loving her. If you need me, just give me a call"

"Will do," I promised. "See you around"

When he had gone, I went to find Emma. She was sitting in the grounds under her favourite tree, with both Laddie and Sol-leks lying by her side. She looked really down, but she wasn't crying. That was a good sign. She looked up as I approached her.

"How are you feeling?" I asked carefully. "Why did you…?"

"I honestly don't want to talk about it," she told me, shaking her head. "Not yet"

"Boromir's gone, you know," I said. "He said that if you change your mind…"

"It won't happen" she said firmly. "I'm sad that it had to be like this and I'm sorry that I've hurt Boromir but…but it's for the best"

"I know" I nodded. "And if you ever do want to talk about it, we'll be here for you. Me, Legolas and Elrond. You can always talk to us"

"Thanks Billee" she gave me a ghost of a smile and lowered her head. "I…I think I need to be alone now"

I nodded and began to walk away. As I reached the main door, I turned back and stood there quietly for a moment, just watching her. She seemed cold and uncaring but I knew that it was just an act. I had become an expert at noticing the signs of depression and I knew that Emma was slowly slipping back into her old ways. If that happened, then none of us would be able to reach her. All I could do was hope that she would confide in one of us before it went too far…

  
  



	13. Emotional Drive goes whacko (Jamie)

Life after High School. Is it scary? You bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, not ours  
  
Summary: No idea  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
As we drove away in the cart, I wondered how Emma was coping. I didn't want to leave my best friend. Maybe she was right. Maybe she had lost me.  
  
I began to cry silently. Frodo looked at me in surprise. He stopped the cart and wrapped me in a hug. I sobbed into his shoulder. I think he thought it was just my emotional drive was out of whack because I was pregnant.  
  
I finished crying and we just sat there hugging eachother. After a while, we started up the cart and drove along toward Gondor, which was our first stop. As we reached it, we heard cantering of a horse behind us. I looked around. It was Boromir. He must have been going home. He stopped to a slow walk when he reached the cart. We talked for a while. Boromir knew that I was kind of like a counselor, and he told me how much he loved Emma and how much he missed her. I understood and I told him that I had slipped a letter into her coat pocket. It told her how much I loved her as a sister, how much Boromir loved her and stuff like that. Never throw that love away. You won't find someone who loves you that much ever again.  
  
We rode into Gondor, and Boromir said goodbye and rode toward his home. We waved and rode to an inn. We stayed there for about a week.  
  
During that time, we met Boromir's parents, walked around like tourists. There weren't many hobbits in Gondor, so people were very interested in us. We answered their questions politely, and spent most time outside.  
  
I sent three postcards, each, to everyone. Four to Emma. Saying how much I missed her, and how much I wished she were here to have fun with me. I ended each one with: You'll come out on top like you always do. It was our trade saying.  
  
Most nights, I think I cried myself to sleep. I missed my friends. My emotional drive was out of whack. Most days, morning sickness got the better of me. It was terrible. We saw Aragorn and Arwen, who had moved in with her boyfriend, they told us to stay with them for a while, but I declined, telling them that they probably didn't want some pregnant person ruining their 'fun'. They had both laughed at that.  
  
Finally, it was almost time to go. Frodo and I packed up our stuff and set off. Our next stop: Mirkwood. We both knew that Billee and Legolas would be there. Maybe we could see them for a bit. 


	14. A Change of Plan (Emma)

Life after High School. Is it scary? You bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Nope, not ours

Summary: No idea

**************************************************************************** **********

(Billee's POV)

Three days after Jaime and Frodo had left, the younger students went on vacation. Me, Legolas, Colan and Emma were all going back to Rivendell with Elrond and then once Colan was settled, Legolas and I were planning to take a short trip to Mirkwood. Jaime had told me that her and Frodo were staying in Gondor for a week and then heading to Mirkwood. Legolas and me planned to be there about the same time. However, I was beginning to have second thoughts about leaving Emma alone. Since Jaime had left, she had seemed more down than ever, she was refusing to talk and she wasn't eating properly. I was very worried about her, well I suppose we all were. She had already lost Jaime and I knew that if anything happened to her while I was gone, I'd never forgive myself.

The day after the students left, Elrond locked up the school and we rode to Rivendell. It was a beautiful place, it really was. Although Emma said nothing, I could see that she was mesmerised by how beautiful it all was. Colan was also amazed. He kept pointing at things and saying how pretty they were. But if Rivendell itself was beautiful it was nothing compared to Elrond's house.

When we first stepped inside, all four of us just looked around, unsure of what to do. It wasn't until Elrond told us to relax and make ourselves comfortable that we dared to move. I knew that living like this would take some getting used to, but this was my home now and I was glad. 

It was getting late and we had been riding for much of the day so I gave Colan a couple of biscuits and put him to bed. He fell asleep immediately, tired out by the long ride. When I came down, Emma said that she didn't want any dinner and that she was going to bed too. I looked at Legolas and shook my head sadly. Things didn't look good for her. 

Legolas, Elrond and I sat down and ate our dinner quietly. There didn't seem to be a lot to say. I got the feeling however, that having us around made Elrond happy. He lived alone during the vacations, because his wife died and his three children have grown up and left now. Arwen was the last to go. I was glad that someone cared for us and in return we could make someone happy.

After dinner, Legolas and I took a walk around Rivendell, hand in hand. It was really nice to spend some time alone, just the two of us. 

"Billee" Legolas said after a few minutes. "Why are you so quiet tonight?"

"I'm worried about Emma," I admitted quietly. "I'm worried about leaving her here with just Elrond and Colan. If anything happened…"

"We don't have to go" Legolas told me gently. "I mean, yeah I want you to meet my family and everything, but we could wait until Jaime comes back from her honeymoon or something. I don't mind, Emma means a lot to me too, so I know how you feel"

I pulled him towards me and kissed him. I was lucky to have such a sweet, understanding boyfriend. And no way was I ever going to lose him. 

"There's another way," I said softly, kissing the base of his throat as he began to unbutton my shirt. "She could come with us. Then Colan and Elrond could too if Elrond wanted to. We could stay with your father and they could stay in an inn. That way we could all be together"

"That would work" Legolas agreed, gently biting my ear. "And Jaime and Emma will get some more time together. I think that would help Em a lot"

"I'll talk to Elrond tomorrow" I told him with a smile. "And in the meantime, let's make the most of our time alone"

The next morning, I got up early and went down to the kitchen. Elrond was giving Colan his breakfast when I went in.

"Morning Billee" he said with a smile. "Sleep well?"

"Fine thanks" I told him, sitting down and running my hand through Colan's hair. "How are you, little one?"

"Daddy has been telling me stories," my little brother said excitedly. I had to smile at that. Colan recently started calling Elrond 'dad'. Little kids, it's easy for them to adapt. I still call him by his first name, but Elrond doesn't mind. He tells me to call him whatever I feel comfortable with. 

Very briefly I explained what Legolas and I had come up with. 

"I think it would be good for Emma to see Jaime for a while" I explained. "And it would be a comfort to me if I could keep an eye on her. Plus it's her eighteenth birthday in about a week and I know that she'll want to spend it with Jamie. If you don't want to come, then we could leave Colan here with you. We thought we'd leave it up to you"

"It would be good for Emma to get away," Elrond agreed thoughtfully. "And I think I'd like to see Mirkwood again. So" he picked up Colan's bowl and smiled at me. "When are we leaving?"

We left Rivendell two days later. Emma didn't say much, but I knew she was pleased to be coming with me and to be able to see Jaime again. We were going to get there a couple of days before Jamie, so Legolas would have time to introduce me to his family and everything. But as soon as Jamie arrived, I needed to talk to her. Emma is the youngest in our group and I wanted to make her birthday extra special, but I needed Jamie's help too.

It took us two days to reach Mirkwood. As soon as we had un-mounted, four little elves appeared from nowhere and threw themselves on Legolas. Legolas laughed and tossed the smallest one in the air.

"Who are these guys?" one of the bigger ones asked. Legolas introduced us one by one. Then I gave Colan to Elrond and went off with Legolas to meet his father. I was nervous about it, even though Legolas had reassured me that his father wasn't so bad. But I need not have worried. He was great and we got along really well. He didn't even seem too bothered about the fact that Legolas and I were lovers. That was one worry off my mind. Now it was just a matter of waiting for Jaime…


	15. Plans for a Party (Jamie)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.  
  
Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
It took us a day and a half to ride to Mirkwood. Frodo and I swapped shifts in steering the cart. Casper, who had come with us, was snoozing in the back of the cart on her ratty old blanket she had had as a puppy.  
  
When we finally got to Mirkwood, the first person I saw was Legolas. I gently shook Frodo awake and pointed.  
  
"Legolas!" I called and waved merrily. He turned and laughed, waving back.  
  
"Hello! How are you? How's the trip going?" He bombarded us with questions. Frodo yawned but laughed too.  
  
Billee, who had been sitting out of sight, got up and came over to us, giving me a hug. I hugged him back.  
  
We were going to stay at an inn, Legolas said he had booked us a place, and that Emma, Elrond and Colan were here too. I was surprised. Then I realized, it was Emma's birthday in a couple of days. I rummaged through the souvenir box, all the towns, we past through, we picked up a little something to remind us. Finally, I found what I was looking for and held them up. Beautiful silver earrings with crystals dangling from them.  
  
We stayed in Mirkwood for a week and a half. What we did in that time was great, Billee had taken me aside, and told me he wanted to do something special for Emma this year, since she was the youngest, besides Colan and we were her best friends, AND it was her eighteenth. I willingly obliged.  
  
We decided to go with a big party, lots of fun stuff to do. We also decided on a surprise party.  
  
When we got to the inn, I went straight to Emma's room, to see how she was holding up. When she opened her door, she didn't look well at all. But she saw me and gathered me into a hug.  
  
"Hey Emma, why haven't you been looking after yourself? Have you gone to the doctor like I asked you too?" She shook her head. I sighed. "Emma, I know you hate doctors, but gynecologists are there to help. They are all there to help. If you don't start eating properly, you're going to get sick. You are feeding yourself for two people now, not just one. Remember that."  
  
Frodo and I spent most of the week preparing for the big party. Billee and I were usually in charge of keeping Emma occupied. I knew she was getting suspicious. But I just assured her that everything was fine. Not to worry.  
  
But I was worrying about her. She looked like she was wasting away in front of me. I tried to get her to eat. But she refused. I wish I knew what was wrong… 


	16. A Plan (Emma)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.

Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!

**************************************************************************** ****

(Billee's POV)

Seeing Jaime seemed to do Emma a bit of good. She was still pale and withdrawn and I knew that she was throwing up a lot, but when she was with Jaime she seemed just a bit happier. I was glad of that, since I had no idea what was wrong, I didn't know how to reach her. If she had Jamie to talk to, well maybe she could hold up for just a while longer. 

I knew that at least part of the problem was Boromir. Emma still wouldn't talk about her reasons for breaking up with him, but I knew she missed him. Two nights before her birthday and the surprise party we were planning, I was walking passed her bedroom when I heard her crying. When I quietly put my head around the door, I saw that she was lying on her bed holding on of his shirts against her face. That's when the idea came to me…

I left her alone since she didn't look like she wanted to be disturbed and went to find Legolas. As soon as he saw me, he knew something was up. We went to our room and shut the door so that no one could hear us.

"Okay, what is it?" Legolas asked with a smile. "You have an idea? What about?"

"Two things. Both about Emma" Quickly I told him what I had just seen. "We have to do something," I added. "And I think I know what"

"Go on"

"In the short term, I wondered if we could give her one of our presents a bit early. Tonight maybe? I figure that it might cheer her up"

"Fine" Legolas nodded. "If you think it might cheer her up. What is the other plan?"

I leant forward and whispered into his ear. Legolas grinned and nodded. 

"It could work," he said. "But you had better do it now. The party is the day after tomorrow"

"Will do," I agreed. "Let me borrow your phone"

Legolas showed me to his father's office and left me alone. Quickly I dialled a number and a woman picked up the phone.

"Can I speak to Boromir South?" I asked quickly. "It's really urgent"

Two minutes later, I heard Boromir's voice. 

"Hey Boromir, it's Billee" I told him. "I wanted to talk to you about Emma"

"Is she alright?" he asked, sounding really worried. "She hasn't tried anything stupid?"

"She isn't too good" I admitted. "But no, she's still in one piece. All I wanted to tell you is that we are having a party for her, the day after tomorrow. We thought it might be good if you came"

"I'm not sure, Billee…"

"She misses you," I told him. "Please come. For her"

"I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning" he said slowly. "If you think it will be okay"

"I'm sure it will" I reassured him. "Thank you, Boromir"

As I put the phone down, Legolas came back in.

"Well?" he asked. "Did he agree?"

"He did" I nodded. "I just hope that we haven't made a big mistake"

"It doesn't matter if we have," he said softly. "She can't go on like this. You want to give her the present now?"

"Yeah" I said with a sigh. "Why not? I'll just go get Colan"

(Emma's POV)

I spent most of the day in my room. Sleeping or just lying there thinking. Jaime came and sat with me a lot, but to be perfectly honest, she was beginning to get on my nerves with all the baby talk. I had no idea whether I was pregnant or not, and I didn't want to find out. Because if I was, I was in big trouble. I won't have kids, I don't want them and I never have. I'd rather just try and ignore it, at least until I felt strong enough to actually find out for sure. 

Elrond came a lot too, usually to try and get me to eat something. I tried, I really did, but every time I swallowed a mouthful of food, it all felt like it was going to come back up again. The most I could manage in one day was three mouthfuls; although I was drinking a lot of fluid, mostly milk. I also felt completely exhausted most of the time. Elrond wanted to get a doctor to check me over, but I begged him to wait until we were back in Rivendell. In the end he gave in, at least for the time being.

Two days before my birthday, I didn't even feel like getting out of bed. Strange as it may seem, I was really missing Boromir. Our break up was for the best, as I had told Billee, and I didn't really regret it, but we had had fun together and I felt really guilty for hurting him.

I was jolted from my thoughts by a knock on my bedroom door. I sat up and called for whomever it was to come in. The door opened and in came Billee, Legolas and Colan. Colan was holding a present in his arms.

"We know that you have been feeling a bit down," Billee said slowly. "So we thought that you might like one of your birthday presents a little early"

I took the package from Colan and slowly opened it. Inside was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. I'm not usually a dress person, but this really was lovely. It was light blue and made of expensive elven material. I knew, just from looking at it, that it must have cost them a fortune.

"Thank you," I whispered, too choked up to speak properly. I hugged each of them in turn, suddenly overcome with emotion. "I love it"

"Try it on," Billee urged. "We'll wait outside"

He pushed Colan out of the door and Legolas followed them. Carefully I put the dress on and looked at myself in my full-length mirror. I was amazed by what I saw.

The dress was even more beautiful up close. The material was soft and it shimmered whenever I moved. It was sleeveless and it came to just above my knees. I completely fell in love with it. The only problem was that it was pretty obvious that I had lost a lot of weight, but that didn't particularly bother me. 

"Can we come in now?" Legolas asked, through the door. "Are you decent?"

"Yeah, come on in" I called back, suddenly feeling happy for the first time in quite a while. They came in and stopped dead when they saw me.

"Oh my" Legolas shook his head in amazement. "Emma, you look stunning"

"Thanks" I said shyly, smiling at them. "What do you think, Colan?"

"Very pretty" he said with a grin. "Can I marry you when I grow up?"

We all smiled at that. Colan can't half be funny when he wants to be. Billee just looked at me for a moment before he spoke.

"You've lost a lot of weight," he said softly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Honestly, I'm fine" I lied. "But I need some sleep now, I think" 

After they had left, I took the dress off and carefully folded it up before lying down on my bed and drifting off to sleep.


	17. Movies and Candles (Jamie)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.  
  
Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
The guys told me they had invited Boromir to the party. I don't know how I felt. I was happy, but I was also scared at Emma's reaction. She was known to blow up at the best of times.  
  
The party was the next day. Billee and I got together often to discuss last minute ideas. We were to take her to a movie the following day to keep her occupied. Even if she objected, we were to haul her out. She needed to get out. I knew I had been annoying her with all the talk about kids, but I still hadn't worked up the courage to ask her to be a god mother and an aunt to my children.  
  
  
  
The next day, Billee and me got dressed in our jeans and sweat shirts. I had to wear baggy jeans because I was starting to get a bulge. I wanted to hide it.  
  
We came into Emma's room, bright and early. She was sitting on her bed, looking forlorn and lonely. She looked up when we entered.  
  
"What's up?" she inquired.  
  
"We are shouting you to the movies. Don't object because you are going whether you like it or not." I said, holding up my hand to stop her objection.  
  
Billee dragged her to her feet and we got her dressed.  
  
"What kind of movies do you like?" he asked Emma.  
  
"Fun movies, I guess. Comedy, Family, stuff like that."  
  
"Well, I heard a new one has just come in. Something called…Cats & Dogs." I said. "It's comedy, fun and family. I heard it was a really good film."  
  
So we dragged her down to the movie theater, after I had talked quietly to 'The Party Doers' Merry and Pippin. They were doing the party decorations. They had arrived secretly the afternoon before.  
  
  
  
When we arrived at the theater, Billee and I bought a large coke and a large popcorn for all of us to share. Emma needed feeding up and we were going to do that with a little junk food.  
  
I watched her more than the movie. About quarter the way through, she began snacking on coke and popcorn, and by half way through we were all laughing at the antics the cats and dogs in the movie, got up to.  
  
We laughed the rest of the way home, recounting the stupid stunts in the movie. Billee entertained us with a Mr. Tinkles voice. By the time we got to the door, we had calmed down enough so as to open the door and lead Emma in. The lights were off and there was a candle in the hallway of Legolas' house. I looked toward Emma and she picked up the note.  
  
"Find the other candle." She read. She looked around. There was another candle about twenty feet down the hall. She looked at me and I nodded. She picked up the second note.  
  
"Go to the lounge and turn on the light. Stop walking round in the dark!"  
  
She laughed and turned on the light.  
  
Everyone of our friends, including Boromir, Frodo, Legolas, Sam, Rosie, Merry, Pippin, Colan, Elrond, Julia, Jake, Stacey and Tracy all jumped out from under tables, behind furniture and stuff.  
  
Together, in ursion, we all shouted.  
  
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!!!!"  
  
Emma was so shocked, she almost collapsed. But Boromir moved forward and she fell into his arms. She began to cry with happiness. 


	18. The Party (Emma)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.

Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!

**************************************************************************** **********  
Quickly I pushed Boromir away from me and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, before turning to Billee and throwing my arms around his neck. He held me tightly and Jamie rubbed my back as I started crying again. I was feeling really emotional for some reason and I couldn't believe that my friends had gone to all this trouble for me.

"Go on" Billee called to the others. "Let's party! She'll be alright in a minute"

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice trembling. "I just feel so happy. Thank you"

"It's okay" Legolas said gently. "Just try and relax and enjoy yourself"

"I will," I promised, giving them all a small smile. "You are the best friends anyone could have"

"Glad you think so" Jaime told me, giving me a hug. "Now go on, relax"

Billee got me a drink and together we went over to Elrond, Colan, Jake and Julia. Just out of habit, I looked around for Boromir. He was standing in a corner, talking to Stacey and Tracy. And believe me, it didn't take and expert to see that they were flirting with him. When Tracey reached up to touch his face, I turned away, not able to watch any longer. I felt really jealous, stupid really since we weren't together any more. We both had the freedom to do what we wanted. But I still felt sad. I think Jaime must have noticed because she pulled me aside and asked me what was up. I just shook my head. Despite what everyone seemed to be hoping, I wasn't planning to go back to Boromir any time soon. But I guess it takes a long time to get over a relationship like the one we had. I was just going to ignore him and concentrate on having a good time. 

And I did have a reasonably good time. I danced a lot even to the slow songs, with Billee, Legolas, Jake, Colan and even Elrond. As for the fast songs, well Jaime may be pregnant and I may be ill, but when we got going, there was no stopping us. 

I didn't eat much, although I promised myself that I would try to eat tomorrow. I knew that if I ate anything, I'd just be sick and I didn't want to ruin a wonderful evening. I drank a lot of soft drinks, no alcohol since I wasn't sure what it would do to my stomach. But I still managed to have a good time, just being surrounded by people who cared was enough…


	19. A cat fight (Jamie)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.  
  
Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
I was glad Emma was having a good time. She was a great dancer. We danced to all our favourite songs. Drank ourselves into soft drink oblivion, and watched Merry and Pippin pull pranks on everyone.  
  
I pulled out my video camera and filmed most of the day.  
  
As evening came, Legolas' dad, Thanduil, got Gandalf to let on some beautiful fireworks that spelled out:  
  
HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY EMMA!!!!!!!  
  
They stayed up for the remainder of the night. To top it all off, I had bought two of the best presents for Emma.  
  
I had bought her some beautiful pairs of earrings. Diamond studs, and her birthstone, the ruby, dangly earrings. I also bought her a copy of 'The Princess Diaries'. I knew she loved the movie, because she loved the actress Julie Andrews.  
  
  
  
Sometime around midnight, Emma and I were taking a walk around the grounds.  
  
"So, do you miss Boromir?" I asked. Emma glared at me and playfully hit my shoulder.  
  
"Hey, don't hit an innocent girl!"  
  
"Yeah, but you aren't innocent! Yeah, I miss him…I guess."  
  
"You guess? You guess? Come on, Emma, you either miss him, or you don't. Which is it?"  
  
"I dunno…a little of both I guess."  
  
I rolled my eyes. The girl was finally eighteen and the word she could mostly say was 'guess'. "So, you finally eighteen, what do you plan to do with your new found freedom?" I asked, holding and imaginary microphone, pretending to be a talk show host.  
  
"I plan to take your microphone and stuff it somewhere hidden."  
  
"Ooh, someone has a nasty streak on her birthday."  
  
"Oh shut up."  
  
"Well I'm sorry Princess Pansy-pants, I was only trying to be funny." I said in a huff. Emma scowled.  
  
"Fine. Be nice. Just don't mention Boromir."  
  
I felt like my insides were seething with frustration. My best friend kept getting so angry with me for no reason. It was a perfectly innocent question. I stuffed the video I had bought her, into her hands and ran off with tears in my eyes. Emotional drive was out of whack again. Mood-swings could turn something perfectly innocent into a fight in ten seconds flat. Five if possible.  
  
I ran to our motel room and burst into tears. Frodo found me there later and comforted me. I felt horrible. Being pregnant wasn't always a joy. It was torture, sometimes, it really sucked big time. One minute I'd feel on top of the world, the next I would feel to low for even the dogs to bite. It even seemed like my best friend was accusing me. 


	20. When you need someone... (Emma)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.  
  
Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

I felt really guilty when Jaime ran off. I hadn't meant to upset her; it was just that the one person I hadn't wanted to talk about was Boromir. Although I suppose that being pregnant wasn't helping her. I wanted to go after her and tell her that I was sorry, but I thought that maybe I should give her until the morning to calm down, since I didn't want to make things worse. If it was only her hormones, I hoped she would be back to normal by then. 

I sat down under a tree, with the video cradled in my arms. I was beginning to feel really bad again, I guess because I had started thinking about my parents. My life was nothing, my parents didn't give a damn about me, my best friends were all making their own lives and none of them needed me anymore. To top it off, I was now fairly sure that I was pregnant, however hard I tried not to believe it. I was scared, but I had no idea who to turn to. It seemed like my options were limited. 

Slowly I stood up and crept back inside. Everything was in darkness and it seemed like nearly everyone had gone to bed. Being careful not to draw any attention to myself, I slipped into Thanduil's office and shut the door behind me. Then I picked up the phone and dialled the number of the only tavern in Silverwood. 

"Hello" the male voice on the other end sounded tired. "The Silver Stallion, how can we help you?"

"Is…is Damon Darkshield around?" I asked, trying desperately to hold back the tears. "I really need to speak to him"

"How on a second" the man put down the receiver. "Damon!" he called loudly. "Damon, there's a young girl on the phone. She wants to speak to you"

There was a bit of muffled talking and then Damon picked up the phone.

"Emma?" he asked softly. "Kid, is that you?"

"Yes" I whispered, tears beginning to slide down my cheeks. "Damon, I…could I come stay with you for a while?"

"If you want" he agreed immediately. "Things getting that bad?"

"Something like that" I told him. "Everything is going wrong and I don't know what to do…"

"It'll be alright" Damon sounded worried now. "Where are you?"

"Mirkwood"

"Do you know the crossroads about two hours north of Mirkwood?" Damon said thoughtfully. "Meet me there, okay? I'll leave now"

"Sure. Thanks Damon"

"No problem. By the way, are you going to tell your friends where you're going?"

"No" I said quietly. "I'll leave them a note telling them that I'm okay, but I'm not going to tell them that I'm with you. See you soon"

I rushed to my room and threw a few clothes and my birthday presents into a bag. Then I found a pen and scribbled a short note for the others. I told them that I was sorry but I really needed some space and I was safe but I didn't want them to come looking for me. At the end I added a short note for Jaime, just telling her that I was sorry for our argument and that she would always be my best friend. Then I went outside, mounted Flamedancer and called for Laddie. Without looking back, I rode away from Mirkwood.

Damon was already there when I arrived. I jumped off my horse and threw myself into his arms. He looked completely exhausted, well it was the early hours of the morning, but he didn't complain. I was touched that he had come for me. 

"You don't look well" Damon commented. "You've lost weight and you look really worried"

"I haven't been well," I admitted. "I've been throwing up a lot. I can't keep anything down"

"Well then" he said, giving me a weary smile. "Let's get home to bed, eh?"

On the way to Silverwood, I told him a lot of the stuff that had been going on, although I didn't tell him that I thought I was pregnant. He didn't say much, just listened and nodded in the right places. He did tell me however, that I was welcome to stay for as long as I needed. When I thanked him, he just laughed.

"I told you that I'd always be here for you and Billee," he said with a smile. "It's what Marcus would have wanted"

His house wasn't much, a bit of a dump to be honest, but at least it was somewhere to live. Damon told me that he shared it with three other guys, but none of them would be up right then. He let me in and made me a hot drink. It felt kind of nice to be looked after.

"I think we had better go to bed," he said after ten minutes or so. "I have a double bed, but you can have that. I'll sleep on the floor"

"You can sleep in there too," I said quickly. "It's not like we've never…" I trailed off, but he understood. 

"If you are sure," he said with a nod. I was, I trusted Damon. We went upstairs and he waited until I was changed and in bed before coming in. He crashed out, fully clothed on the bed. I lay there watching him sleep for a few minutes, wondering what the others would think when they found me missing…


	21. Looking for Miracles (Jamie)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.  
  
Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
The next morning I woke up late. I felt a bit better. But I felt like something was missing.  
  
I got dressed in a loose dress and scuffs and waked to Emma's room. I knocked.  
  
"Emma? Emma? Are you there?"  
  
No answer. I frowned. Emma wasn't one to sleep late, very often. I opened the door, which was unlocked.  
  
The room was empty. But there was a piece of paper on the bed.  
  
Dear Jamie, Billee and everybody,  
  
I just needed to get away for a while. This is all getting to much for me.  
  
I'm sorry I didn't stay. Thank you for the birthday party. It was really great.  
  
I love you all.  
  
Luv and Smiles,  
  
Emma  
  
PS: Jamie, I'm sorry I had that fight with you last night. Please forgive me. I hope you forgive me. You'll always be my best friend.  
  
  
  
I shook my head. In a way, Emma was like Mia Thermopilis in The Princess Diaries. She really needed to learn not to run away from everything. I wondered if she had a grandma who was a Queen. I almost laughed at my stupidity. But then I realized that I had to go after her. But where did she go?  
  
Frodo walked into the room. I silently handed him the note. He took it, barely glancing at it.  
  
"She's gone to Silverwood."  
  
"How do you know, Frodo?"  
  
"I saw her in Thanduil's office. She called Damon."  
  
"Well, we've got to go get her."  
  
"Jamie, you can't you're pregnant and not up to fast riding."  
  
"You would be right. But, she is my best friend, Frodo. I've got to go get her."  
  
There was no way to stop me, once I made a decision. I saddled Winsome and rode toward Silverwood, all the while, singing 'Miracles' by Myra, on the Princess Diaries Soundtrack.  
  
I rode to Silverwood and to the only Inn in the place. The Silver Stallion.  
  
I asked the Bartender if her knew Damon. He pointed out the way to Damon's place and that's where I went. I had to get my best friend back. 


	22. Hiding Away (Emma)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.

Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!

**************************************************************************** **********

When I woke up it was early and at first I couldn't remember where I was. Then Damon rolled over and grinned at me.

"Sleep well?" he asked. I nodded. 

"What time is it?" I asked. "Is it early?"

"Yeah" Damon stood up and stretched. "Are you going to come and meet the others?"

"I guess I'll get up for a while," I agreed. "Thanks Damon"

"What for?"

"For everything, I guess" I got dressed and we went downstairs. When we went into the very messy kitchen, three men turned their heads to look at us. One of them was young, younger than me. One was sitting in the corner, not paying much attention to anything going on around him. It was the third one I didn't like. I didn't like the way he looked at me.

"So whose this, Damon?" the third on asked. "She's pretty, whoever she is"

"Keep away from her" Damon's voice carried more than a hint of warning. "She's a friend. Emma" he said turning to me. "These are the people I share a house with. The one I just spoke to is Stu and the little one is his little brother Jasper. That guy in the corner is Benny Hockey"

I was shocked. As I looked at the guy, I couldn't help wondering if he was in some way related to Randy Hockey. I hoped not.

Stu leered at me all the way through breakfast and I was glad when he finally left. Jasper went next, dropping his cup in the sink as he went passed. Benny scowled at his retreating back. 

"Those two treat this place like a hotel" he said angrily. "I'm getting sick of them"

"Oh, leave it Benny" Damon said with a shrug. "We'll do our washing up and leave theirs here for when they get back"

I finished my breakfast and decided to go back to bed. I told Damon where I was going and he smiled approvingly. I went back upstairs and drifted off. I was awoken about an hour later by a knock at the door.

"Emma" Benny came in and looked down at me. "There's some girl at the door, wants to speak to you. Damon wants to know if he should let her in"

"No" I whispered. "Tell him no. I don't want to speak to anyone yet"

He nodded and went downstairs. A minute later, I heard Damon's voice loud and clear.

"I'm sorry Jaime" he said firmly. "But you can't come in. She's asleep"

"I'll wait until she wakes up then" I heard Jaime reply. "I want to talk to her"

"She doesn't want to talk to you" Damon said firmly. "Now please go away"

Before she could say anything else, he slammed the door shut. I heard him mutter something to Benny but I couldn't quite catch what it was. I buried my face in my pillow and cried. I hoped Jaime could find it in her heart to forgive me for doing this…


	23. Names and Pain (Jamie)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.  
  
Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
I scowled when Damon slammed the door in my face. But I had no choice. I swung myself back up onto Winsome's back and set off on a slow canter. I was only about fifty meters away from the inn when I felt the first stomach pain. I groaned and forced myself on. But it just got worse. The next thing I knew I was lying on the ground in a crumpled heap, groaning at the pain in my stomach. I clutched my abdomen and cried.  
  
"JAMIE!" I heard Emma's yell. She had seen me fall. I saw her race out of the inn, ill as she was and run towards me at full pelt. Damon tried to stop her and forcefully pushed her back. But she struggled and made her way toward me.  
  
"Jamie, oh my god, Jamie, talk to me…" she said. I was close to unconsciousness.  
  
"Emma…get help…I feel…sick…" I fell unconscious.  
  
  
  
I woke up in a room in the tavern. Emma was sponging my head and trying not to cry. She saw my eyes open. "Oh Jamie…you're awake. Thank Valor."  
  
I took her hand. "Emma. What was wrong with me?"  
  
Emma tried not to cry. "You almost killed yourself. You didn't eat before you came to find me. You almost killed your child."  
  
"I…I what?" I asked, completely shocked. "How long have I been out?"  
  
"A week. Frodo has been notified. He came yesterday. He's very worried."  
  
"Where is he? Where is my husband?" I was nearly hysterical.  
  
"I'm here, love, don't worry. You're fine."  
  
Frodo walked in the door, followed by Billee and Legolas, who must have come with him. I began to cry.  
  
"I so sorry Frodo, I didn't mean it. I forgot all about eating…"  
  
"Shh. It's all right now." Said Frodo, cradling my crying form in his arms.  
  
Billee and Legolas were looking worried. Emma took them outside, so that Frodo and I could have time alone.  
  
"Didn't I tell you, fast galloping would be to strenuous?"  
  
"Yes. I'm sorry. I should have listened to you."  
  
"You know, I find that funny, because you hardly listen to anyone."  
  
"Smart ass. Am I going to be okay?"  
  
"Well, I hope so…since we're alone right now…should we think of names?"  
  
"You know, I was thinking the same thing."  
  
We spent the rest of the afternoon, thinking of names for our child.  
  
We came up with 'Arianwen' if it was a girl and 'Alwyn' if it was a boy.  
  
After dinner, Emma came back up and we talked about things. About the names Frodo and I had chosen and then I finally got up enough courage to ask her.  
  
"Emma, I was going to ask you that night we had that cat-fight…"  
  
"Ask me what?"  
  
"Would you be the god mother and an aunt to this child?"  
  
Emma looked speechless. I wondered what her answer would be… 


	24. Another Argument (Emma)

Life after High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: They're ours! All ours! Silver: No they aren't, Risty. Risty: Wha…? Oh damn.  
  
Summary: You think we know? Gimme a break!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

"Yeah" I said finally, giving Jaime a hug. "Yeah, I would be honoured to. On one condition…"

"What?"

"That you go away and leave me alone" I said quietly. "I know that you are my best friend and everything, but I meant it when I said I didn't want anyone coming after me. I need…I need some time away from everyone. Just to think things through"

"Have you told Billee?" Jaime asked quietly. "What does he think of this?"

"He understands. He knows that I'll come back when I'm ready," I said with a shrug. "He says that he would have never let you come after me if he had known why I wanted to go"

"I'm sorry Emma" Jaime looked rather upset. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just worried"

"I know," I said slowly. "And I'm not mad at you, not really. I…" I broke off as my vision went blurry. I stood still for a minute until everything went back to normal. I still wasn't well and Damon had been talking about calling a doctor out before Jaime showed up. I still couldn't eat, no matter how hard I tried and my drastic weight loss was having a dangerous affect. Every time I stood up I felt dizzy and I was spending a lot of my time asleep. Having said that, I hadn't hurt myself since I'd been staying with Damon, so I guess that was one good thing. 

"Emma" Jaime looked very worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah" I said quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine"

"Emma, listen" Jaime put her hand on my arm. "I don't want to sound like I'm trying to get at you or anything, but if you are pregnant, you not eating is only going to harm you and your baby"

"Leave it Jaime," I snapped, a bit sharper than I had intended to. "Just because you're happy to be pregnant doesn't mean that I am. Well I don't want anything to do with you or your children, so just leave me alone"

I got up and walked out, slamming the door behind me. I was fed up of everyone getting at me; didn't they have anything better to do? Obviously not. I went up to my room and locked the door behind me. I knew that Damon and Benny wouldn't let anyone disturb me.

At some point I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, it was dark. Outside my door I could hear Billee and Damon talking. Knowing that they were probably talking about me, I pressed my ear against the door. 

"Well, I guess we'll be going tomorrow" Billee said sadly. "You look after Emma, Damon"

"Will do" Damon promised. "You'll be in Rivendell, right? I'll contact you if anything happens"

"Thanks. I don't know where Jaime and Frodo are going. I'm not sure if they plan to continue with the honeymoon or go back to Bag End…"

"Don't matter" Damon told him. "I can always track them down in an emergency. I think being here may do Emma some good. Which reminds me, how's her ex-fiancée coping?"

"Boromir?" Billee sounded surprised. "Hard to say. At her party Jaime's twin sisters were flirting with him and I know that Tracey has been making moves on him since then, but he doesn't really seem interested. At least I don't think he does. When Emma disappeared, he hit the bottle. Believe me, I haven't seen him in this state since Emma nearly killed herself last year. I feel sorry for him, although I'm on Emma's side in this business"

"If you ask me, she's better off without him" Damon said coldly. "He's just a stupid…"

I turned away from the door, not wanting to hear any more. I had mixed feelings about what I had just heard. Knowing that Boromir missed me made me feel both glad and guilty. I had hoped when I broke up with him that he would meet someone else, but the thought of him and Tracey made me feel really upset. I missed him and I guess that if I was totally honest, a part of me was still in love with him. But it was over and nothing was going to change that.

The next morning, Damon asked me if I wanted to see the others before they left. I told him that I only wanted to see

Billee and Legolas, so he showed them in. I hugged them both and told them that I would come back to Rivendell as

soon as I could. Billee asked me what had happened between Jaime and me but I said I didn't want to talk about it. I

asked them to give my love to Colan and Elrond and they said they would. Then I watched from the window as they left

Silverwood and rode away, with Jaime and Frodo behind them. 


	25. Throwing away a five year friendship (Ja...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nothing but our own characters, two bottles of beer and a bag of corn chips.  
  
Summary: You've read this far…so keep reading!  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
I was shocked as Emma left the room. When reality finally sank in, I began to cry so hard, it seemed like the world would end. Two arms wrapped around my sob-wracked body. The only guy to ever call me 'Champ', cradled me. Told me it was all right to cry. Baz whispered soothing sounds into my ear.  
  
That night, Frodo came in and slept with me to keep me company. Casper slept on the floor. I had a dream.  
  
I was still in the room and Emma and I were having an argument. A rowdy one.  
  
"Fine!" I yelled at her shocked face. "Be that way! If you don't want anything to do with me, then …fine! I don't give a damn!"  
  
I stormed out and the dream ended just like that. Very abrupt. I woke up with a cold sweat and decided to go downstairs and get a drink.  
  
I sat at the table for a long time. There was a creak on the stairs.  
  
Benny Hockey walked over to the sink and filled a glass.  
  
"Couldn't sleep, eh?"  
  
"Nah. I couldn't Benny." I answered. I knew Benny from way back. When I did eighth grade the first time, Benny had been in twelfth grade. He had been really nice to me. When I had failed eighth grade, he told me he'd be there if I ever needed extra tuition. When his little brother Randy had started, I thought he'd be the same way. Unfortunately, Randy was a troublemaker from the start.  
  
Benny leaned on the sink and smiled a sort of brotherly smile at me.  
  
"So, you passed twelfth grade and got my little brother expelled." His look turned menacing and he advanced. Then he stuck out his hand and I grabbed it into a handshake.  
  
"Shake a paw pal, I would never have guessed."  
  
I laughed. "Yeah well, miracles happen. If it wasn't for your secret tuition, I would never have passed eighth grade the second time round."  
  
"Well That's what I'm here for."  
  
"Benny, you're my long time best friend. Thank you." I gave him a hug and went back up to bed.  
  
The next day, Frodo and I rode away back to Mirkwood. We had decided to cancel the rest of the honeymoon and go back to Bag End. There was just no point if Emma wasn't going to answer my phone calls or anything.  
  
Out of the blue, I said to Frodo: "I don't give a damn."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Well, I've always been there for Emma. I have offered friendship and everything and she just has to throw it away. Maybe I should just find a new best friend."  
  
Frodo was shocked. "Jamie, don't say that. Emma probably didn't mean it."  
  
"Oh she meant it. You forget I know more about her than you do, Frodo. If she wants to slowly kill herself. It's now none of my business. I quit. I quit trying to help her. I will be there if she wants to talk, but if she wants to throw a five year friendship down the drain. That's her choice."  
  
I just shut up after that. The only sound I made was humming different sounds along to my Discman with the Princess Diaries soundtrack. I began humming 'Supergirl'. No one could get through to me. I was totally oblivious of everything around me. If Emma didn't want anymore to do with me. That was her choice. I still had my husband, brother, cousin, sisters, other friends and of course, Benny. I had been in Emma's position in eighth grade, he had been there for me like I had been for Emma. I knew I could talk to him when times were tough. 


	26. Bad News (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: We own nothing but our own characters, two bottles of beer and a bag of corn chips.

Summary: You've read this far…so keep reading!

**************************************************************************** ****

When Billee left, I felt kind of lonely. He and Jaime were the people who knew me best and it seemed like I was losing everyone. I still had Damon and Benny around, but t wasn't quite the same. Just a few weeks ago, I'd had everything. And then everything had just seemed to fall apart. I'd lost Jaime, I'd lost Boromir and in some strange way, I felt like I was losing Billee too. I knew that it was hard for him, he desperately wanted to do what was best for me but he didn't want to take sides. I didn't blame him for that, but it made me wary of confiding in him. That was why I thought that it would be good to get away from them all for a while. 

Maybe if I had been stronger I would have tried to do something about it, take some steps to sort my life out, but I couldn't. I was growing weaker by the day and my fight with Jaime had drained the last of my energy. Damon and Benny did their best, they even changed their bar shifts so that one of them could always be with me. They brought me food, but I couldn't eat it. It wasn't that I didn't want to eat, every time I tried the food just came straight back up again. All I could eat was things like soup. 

Two days after Jaime and the others had gone I had got up to go to the bathroom when I was suddenly hit by terrible stomach pains. Everything spun round and round as I clutched my stomach. Then I blacked out…

(Billee's POV)

I should have been shocked when Damon called to tell me that Emma was in hospital, but I wasn't. To be honest, I had been expecting something like this for a long time. He did however, have something to tell me that was shocking.

"Do you know she was pregnant?" he asked me quietly. "Did she tell you?"

"No, she didn't" I admitted. "Why, what…?"

"She's lost it," he said quietly. "It was to be expected, she couldn't eat enough to feed one person, let alone two, but there's more" he paused then continued. "She's still unconscious and the doctors have put her on a drip to give her more fluid and they're booking her in for another blood transfusion. But…her body's giving up, Billee. And I'm not sure if she'll…"

"She will pull through," I said firmly. "She's been near death before and survived. Even at her lowest points"

"Yeah but…" Damon sounded rather uncertain. "I think she feels like she doesn't have anything to live for any more. If she is willing to fight, then maybe she will get better. But if she wants to die…" He left his sentence unfinished. We both knew that there was no need to go on. "Do you want to come and see her?" he asked finally. "Just quietly you know, you and Legolas. No one else. Even if she does wake up, the last thing she'll need is a lot of visitors"

"I understand," I told him. "But I want to tell Boromir and Jaime. I won't tell them what hospital she's at, but I think they would want to know that she's in a bad way"

"If you think it's best," Damon said with a sigh. "But don't tell them where she is, will you?"

"I won't" I reassured him. Damon told me what hospital she was at. I thanked him and hung up. I stared at the phone for a moment, wondering for the umpteenth time how it had come to this. Then I picked up the receiver and called Boromir. The phone was answered by his father, who informed me that Boromir had gone to Bag End, no doubt to see Jaime and Frodo. When he had hung up, I went to call Jaime, but then decided against it. The most important thing right then was to tell Elrond and Legolas what had happened. Legolas and me needed to get to the hospital quickly. Once I had seen for myself how bad Emma was, then I would call Jaime.  

Elrond and Legolas were both shocked when they heard what had happened. Elrond wanted to come with us, but I asked him to stay with Colan and promised him that I would call him to let him know how things were as soon as I knew myself. Then Legolas and I started out on the ride to the hospital, all the way praying for Emma to pull through.


	27. Benny Helps Out (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Frodo and I got back to Bag End with in three days of traveling. I kind of moped around mostly. I felt like a piece of me was missing. I felt really bad. And when the door bell rang, I almost leaped through the roof. I needed a distraction from my mind. I opened the door. Boromir stood there.  
  
"Jamie, what have you been doing to yourself?"  
  
My eyes were bloodshot from crying, my ankles were swollen from being pregnant, I felt so down I didn't know what to do anymore.  
  
"Nothing I guess. Just feeling sorry for myself."  
  
"Oh Jamie." Boromir gave me a hug. I began crying into his shoulder.  
  
Frodo came into the hall. "Hello Boromir. How are things?"  
  
"All right. I've hit the bottle since Emma left though."  
  
I shook my head. It was useless. The phone rang.  
  
"I'll get it." I sighed. I walked to the phone and answered it automatically, like an answering machine.  
  
"Hello, this is Jamie speaking, how may I help you?"  
  
"Jamie? It's Billee."  
  
"Oh hi Billee. How are you going?"  
  
"All right. Listen, I called because of Emma."  
  
"Why? What's wrong?"  
  
"Jamie, she's in hospital. She's lost her baby."  
  
I sank into a nearby chair. "Oh my lord. How is she?"  
  
"I don't know, I was going to go back to Silverwood after I called you."  
  
Boromir took the phone off me and began talking to Billee. I could see he was distressed. But he spoke calmly and when he hung up the phone, he turned to me. "Jamie," He said. "Jamie, I think you have some explaining to do."  
  
We sat down in the lounge. I began explaining.  
  
"The night before the wedding, I found Emma throwing up in the bathroom. We didn't know what was wrong but she didn't eat much or do much. When Frodo and I left on our honeymoon, and we stopped to say goodbye to you guys, I found out Emma was pregnant. When I told her what I thought, it just spiraled down hill from there."  
  
Boromir sat silently, as I explained everything, even the attraction Emma felt for Damon. Just because of a childhood crush. He looked very sad.  
  
After I had talked myself out, I reached for the phone again and rang the Silver Stallion.  
  
"Hey, you've called the Silver Stallion, what can we do for you?"  
  
"Is Benny Hockey there, please?"  
  
"Sure, hang on. Yo Benny! Some chick is on the phone, wants to talk to ya!"  
  
After a while, Benny got on the other end. "Jamie-girl, is that you?"  
  
I smiled at his use of my nick name.  
  
"Yeah, Benny, it's me. I need some help."  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"Benny, you have to tell me, what's wrong with Emma. I know she's lost her baby, but what else is wrong?" Benny stayed silent for a few minutes. "Dammit Benny! Answer!"  
  
"She's had a hunger breakdown. Her body has been asking her to eat but she has refused. So the part of the brain that allows people to eat has shut down."  
  
I gasped. "Benny, you have to do something for me."  
  
"Sure, kiddo, anything."  
  
"Will you tell Billee, when he comes, he has to tell Emma that I love her like a sister and I'll always be there for her?"  
  
"I will do that personally."  
  
"Thanks Benny. You really are like my big brother."  
  
"Hey, Jamie, Mark was a great friend. And I promised him that I would be there for all his sisters and brothers."  
  
I had to smile. "Okay. Thanks Benny. You're a great pal."  
  
That night, for some reson, I slept better than any night I had since my fight with Emma. 


	28. Waiting can be torture (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.

Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.

**************************************************************************** ****

(Billee's POV)

I hung up the phone after talking to Boromir and turned to Legolas, who was standing right by my side. I could see that he had tears in his eyes. Damon was walking up and down, a cold cup of coffee in his hand. There was nothing we could do and we all knew it. I had never felt so helpless in my life. It wasn't particularly nice being in a hospital waiting room either. It brought back too many bad memories…

"Billee" Damon put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Maybe you should go back to my place and get some rest. There's nothing any of us can do and it's pointless just waiting here like this"

"Not until I talk to the doctor again" I said firmly. "I know she's in a bad way, but if there's any chance of us…losing her during the night, I'm staying right here"

"Fair enough" Damon agreed. "I'll go find someone"

He disappeared and came back a few minutes later with a doctor in tow. The doctor introduced himself and told us to sit down.

"So you would be friends of Emma Darkshield?" he asked. I was puzzled and glanced at Damon. He raised a finger to his lips, urging me not to say anything. 'I'll tell you later' his eyes were saying. 'Please don't blow it'

"Yes" I said slowly, not quite realising what he was playing at, but deciding to go along with it for now. "I need to know what's going on"

"Well" the doctor hesitated for a second and then continued. "Well, because she hasn't been eating, her body has used up all of its energy and her vital organs are now failing" he told us softly. "Basically, as I've told her brother here, she's had a hunger breakdown. Her body has been asking her to eat but she has refused. So the part of the brain that allows people to eat has shut down. That was a problem in itself. The miscarriage was the second problem. Normally when a woman loses her baby, it is an upsetting experience, but not fatal. In Emma's case however, she needed all the healthy blood she had and when she lost her baby, she began bleeding at an alarming rate. She's still on the drip and she's just going in for her blood transfusion now. After that, it will just be a matter of seeing how she is when she wakes up" 

"Is there…" I broke of and Legolas squeezed my hand. The doctor waited patiently for me to go on. "Is there any chance that we could lose her during the transfusion" I managed to ask finally. "Even a small chance?"

"It would be very unlikely, but not impossible" the doctor told us with a sigh. "I would strongly urge you to go home and try and get some sleep. Making yourselves sick isn't going to help young Emma" He turned and went back to the ward.

"Alright, we'll go" I agreed. "Damon, will you be alright up here all night?"

"Hell, my body can go days without sleep" Damon said with a very small smile. "If anything goes wrong, I promise you that I will call immediately"

"And if she wakes up" Legolas told him. "By the way, why did you bring her in as your sister?"

"I figured that if she went in under someone else's name, it wouldn't be so easy for her dad to find her" Damon said with a shrug. "It isn't legal though, so don't say anything"

"We won't" I promised with a yawn. "I guess we'll be going now. If nothing happens, we'll be back first thing tomorrow morning"

When we got back to Damon's place, Benny was still up. 

"How is she?" he asked. I just shook my head and he gave a sigh. "I spoke to Jaime just now" he said after a minute. "She wanted you to give Emma a message"

"It must be hard on her" Legolas commented. "And on Boromir. They both know that she could die, but they can't see her. I'd hate to be in their position"

"It's for the best at the moment" I said quietly. "What was the message, Benny?"

"She said 'Tell Emma that I love her like a sister and I'll always be there for her'" Benny told me. "Kind of sweet, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is" I agreed. "Look, if I go to the Silver Stallion, do you think they would let me use their phone?"

"I don't see why not" Benny shrugged. "But I'll come with you if you like, explain that's it's an emergency"

Together the three of us walked to the tavern where I called Elrond. I told him what the doctor had said and asked him to come down with Colan as soon as he could. I needed someone else with me, someone who could take charge. He promised that he would start out that very night and he would meet us at the hospital the next morning. I asked him not to tell anyone else where we were, not even Arwen. He was surprised at my request, but he agreed. I couldn't risk Jaime or Boromir finding out where we were. 

When we got back, Legolas and I went to bed. I was really tired, but I couldn't sleep. Legolas couldn't sleep well either so we just held each other for comfort through the night. 


	29. A Surprising Announcement (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
The next morning, I felt terrible. Not from anything I did, but from morning sickness.  
  
Frodo must have been worried because he knocked on the bathroom door.  
  
"Hey, honey, are you okay in there?"  
  
"Yeah…I'm okay." I said in a croaky voice. I was at the beginning of my fourth month, I think. It was nasty.  
  
"Jamie. Do you want to see the doctor?" Frodo asked through the door.  
  
"Yeah. I think that would be an idea."  
  
  
  
Frodo and Boromir helped me down the road toward Dr. Elliot's surgery. His nurse was the one who looked at me because Elliot was out of town, in Chetwood. She was shocked when she saw me.  
  
"Oh Jamita Baggins! How are you?"  
  
"Really bad morning sickness."  
  
"Well, let's take a look at you."  
  
Gina and I went into the examining room while Frodo and Boromir waited anxiously.  
  
Gina gave me the regular checkup and after that, we had the little 'talk'.  
  
"Jamie, how long do you think you are in pregnancy?"  
  
"Umm…four months."  
  
"Your way more than that. You just don't show it."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. "  
  
"How far gone am I?"  
  
"seven and a half."  
  
I was speechless. Frodo and I had been married for two and a half months. So five months before…I couldn't believe it.  
  
I staggered out of the room in shock and fell into Frodo's arms.  
  
"Gina…why am I not so fat?"  
  
"Some women don't bulge out as much as others."  
  
Frodo was so happy. I knew I should be too. But I couldn't stop thinking about Emma. Was she all right?  
  
When we got home, the answering machine had a message on it.  
  
It was from Benny.  
  
"Jamie, I don't know where you are right now, but I just called to say that Emma has had a successful blood transfusion and she woke up this afternoon. Just thought you'd like to know. Ring back, will ya?"  
  
Frodo, Boromir and I were so happy. This was really good news.  
  
Every night, I prayed that Emma would pull through. It looked like those prayers were paying off. I kept praying, and I hoped she would reconsider my offer. Even if she was still mad at me. I wanted to make up. I felt really bad for getting at her. 


	30. A Shock for Damon (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
******************************************************************************************

(Emma's POV)

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around me. I was in a hospital room, but I couldn't remember why I was here. In fact I could barely remember anything. My brain seemed like it had shut down or something. I noticed that I had a needle stuck in my arm and a dull ache in my stomach. 

The door opened and Damon, Benny, Billee and Legolas came in. Legolas was the first to realise that I was lying there with my eyes open.

"Emma" he said, sounding very glad. "You're awake!"

They all gathered around my bed excitedly, except Damon who hurried from the room and came back with a doctor. 

"What happened?" I asked weakly. "How did I get here?"

"You collapsed" Damon said softly. "From not eating properly. And then you started bleeding…"

"You lost your baby" Billee told me. I nodded and turned my head away from them. Billee gently touched my arm. "Emma…" he continued. "I'm…"

"Don't say it" I whispered, more upset than I thought I'd be. "I don't want anyone's sympathy. It's for the best. I don't even want to talk about it any more"

I heard Damon give a sigh. I knew what he was thinking, but he didn't say it. Instead it was Benny who spoke next.

"Are you going to tell her?" he asked. "Or shall I?"

"Tell me what?" I struggled to sit up, but I couldn't quite manage it. I guess I was still too weak. Legolas gently pushed be back down, urging me not to overdo it. Benny looked at Billee. Billee lowered his head.

"Emma, when you first came to hospital" he whispered. "I…I called Jaime and Boromir was there…"

"And" I knew where this was going. "You told him about me losing his child, right?"

"I'm sorry Emma, I really am. It's just that I thought he had a right to know…"

"He doesn't have a right to know anything" I said wearily. "And if you talk to him again, you can tell him from me that I'm glad I lost it because it means that I don't have any ties to him now"

"Emma" Billee was shocked by my sudden outburst. "You don't mean that"

"Doesn't matter now does it?" I said with a shrug. "It doesn't matter what I want and it doesn't matter what he wants. We're over, aren't we?"

I turned away from him and looked at the doctor. "Can I have something to eat before I go back to sleep?" I asked. "And when can I go home?" 

"Yes, you can have something to eat" the doctor said with a smile. "And as for going home, well we'll have to wait and see. If you manage to keep some food down and put weight back on, then we'll see" He gave me another smile and turned to the others. "Damon, maybe you'd like to go get your sister something to eat" he said. Damon looked at me and winked. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I trusted Damon and I was happy to go along with whatever game he was playing. "And as for the rest of you" the doctor continued. "Maybe you should go home and let Emma get some rest. She'll be alright now, we just want to monitor her until she puts some weight back on"

"Fair enough" Billee agreed. "Emma, we are going to have to let the others know that you're alright. Is there anyone you want to see? Apart from Elrond of course"

'Boromir' my brain shouted but I blocked it out. "No" I whispered. "No one"

Billee nodded and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. Then he, Legolas and Benny left. After they had gone, I lay there looking up at the ceiling, waiting for Damon to bring me some food. 

(Damon's POV)

As I left the room, I overheard Emma saying that there was no one she wanted to see. I felt sorry for Billee then, since he was the one who was going to have to break the bad news to Jaime. I didn't know Jaime well, but I knew that she would be upset too. Imagine hearing that although your best friend has just woken up, she doesn't want to see you. I suppose that it was for the best though, what with Jaime being pregnant and all. 

When I took her a tray of food, Billee and the others had left. Benny was waiting for me outside the door and he whispered that he had just called Jaime, but there was no reply so he had just left a message telling her that Emma had woken up. I nodded and told him to go back with the others. 

While Emma was eating, the doctor approached me and asked if he could have a word. I agreed and we went to his office where we could talk in private.

"Damon" he said gravely. "I have some very bad news concerning your sister"

"Emma? Why, what's wrong?"

"I have to ask you not to mention this to anyone" the doctor told me. "Since Emma doesn't know yet and I'm not going to tell her until she is stronger. But that miscarriage, it wasn't caused solely by her not eating"

"Then what…?"

"We are currently unsure although there are many possibilities. But Damon, if the baby had been a lot bigger, she probably would have died from the blood loss. There is no guarantee that this won't happen again"

"You mean that if she wants to have kids in the future…"

"Yes Damon. For her to carry a child full term would be very dangerous for both her and the child. I'd strongly recommend to her that she forgets about ever having children"

He went out and left me alone to think. My mind was in complete turmoil. I felt like I should tell Boromir, pretty stupid since I completely hate the guy, but there you go. But I knew that I'd have to wait until Emma had been told. I couldn't help wondering how she would take it…


	31. Phone Calls, Apologies and Dreams (Jamie...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
I rang the Silver Stallion. "Hello?" asked a very familiar voice. I just couldn't place it.  
  
"Hello. I was wondering if Benny Hockey was there?"  
  
"No sorry, he's not here at the moment, he's gone to visit his friend in hospital."  
  
"I know this will sound really dumb, but you sound really familiar."  
  
"Wait a tick, is this Jamie Shadow?"  
  
"No, this is Jamie Baggins."  
  
"So you finally got hitched, eh?"  
  
"Randy Hockey, is that you?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me."  
  
I smiled. "Well, well, well. Randy Hockey. I-"  
  
"Jamie. I'm sorry."  
  
I was surprised. "For what, Randy?"  
  
"For making fun of you in High School and torturing you and all that."  
  
"It mostly didn't worry me. It was Emma you effected the most."  
  
"Oh… Benny just walked in the door. Do you want to talk with him?"  
  
"Yes, thanks."  
  
Benny got on the phone. "Jamie-girl. Thanks for ringing."  
  
"No problem, I was at Dr. Elliot's when you rang."  
  
"Was anything wrong?"  
  
"No, not at all. If fact… I am much farther gone in pregnancy than I first expected."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I'm seven and a half months pregnant, Benny. Not four."  
  
"Whoa. That is a surprise."  
  
"Yeah. So what did you want me to ring about?"  
  
"Just to tell you Emma was awake and she was okay."  
  
"Oh good. D-does she still hate me?"  
  
"I don't know. I'll ask her for you if you like."  
  
"You know, I'd like that. Did you ask Billee to give her my message?"  
  
"Yep. All done and accounted for. Don't worry."  
  
"Thanks, Benny, you're a great pal. I'd better go."  
  
"Okay, see you later, Jamie."  
  
"Bye Benny-boy."  
  
"I really wish you didn't call me that."  
  
"You call me Jamie-girl."  
  
"Okay, okay, okay. You win." He laughed.  
  
I hung up and went upstairs. I lay down on the bed and fell asleep. All the while I had a dream.  
  
We were at High School. It was the night of the Mock Rock, and Arwen, Blue, Reesa, Me, Rosie and Indigo were singing our apology to Emma. But something was different. I tried to think what it was, but it wouldn't come to me. Then it hit me. Emma wasn't there. Billee and Legolas and Boromir and everyone else was there, but not Emma. What did it mean? I didn't know. The scene jumped from the Mock Rock to where I had gone to look for Emma, but I was alone. Billee and Legolas weren't with me. When I got to where Emma was, Laddie and Colan weren't there either. Emma was standing underneath the tree and was waiting for me.  
  
She smiled when I got there.  
  
"Hi Jamie." Was all she said.  
  
"Umm Hi Emma. What is this place?"  
  
"A Dream. I just wanted to tell you, even though I was mad at you, you still will be my best friend. Remember? We're like Sally and Gillian in Practical Magic. We promised that we would die on the same day. At the same time. Never lose trust. I'll be there for you. "  
  
"And I'll be there for you, Em."  
  
I woke up with a thin sheen of sweat. I knew that Emma had had the same dream as me, but I had been the one reassuring her. I knew she would always be my best friend, no matter what. 


	32. Bitter Truths (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

(Emma's POV)

Over the next two or three days, I started to eat again and I slowly grew stronger. Benny and Damon spent a lot of their time with me and even though I didn't really feel up to talking, they just sat there so I wouldn't have to be alone. Billee, Legolas and Elrond came to see me often and I knew that Billee was keeping Jaime informed of my progress. He had also told me what she had said. I was glad she wasn't angry with me any more. Sometimes it was annoying, always being surrounded by people when you just want to be left alone, but mostly I was glad that I had people who cared so much about me.

Three days after my blood transfusion, Benny was sitting with me. He seemed nervous, not quite like himself. 

"Emma" he said suddenly. "I spoke to Jaime the other night"

"Oh yeah? What did she say?"

"She asked me if you still hated her?" Benny said with a shrug. "Do you?"

"The stuff I said to her" I said quietly. "I didn't mean it, not really. I thought she was the one mad at me until Billee gave me her message"

"Well she isn't mad at you" Benny said with a shrug. "In fact, when she heard you were in hospital she was really worried"

"That girl spends most of her life worrying about me," I said with a small smile. "Still next time you speak to her, you can tell her that she's still my best friend. I'm not angry any more"

"I'm glad to hear it" Benny laughed. "Honestly, you two. Billee reckons you will be the death of him"

"Probably" I agreed. "How he puts up with us, I'll never know"

Suddenly the door opened and Damon came in, followed by my doctor. Benny shifted over and Damon sat down on my bed and took my hand. 

"Emma" he said softly. "Your doctor…he has some news for you?"

I could tell by the tone of his voice that something was wrong. "What?" I asked quietly. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes Emma, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you" my doctor said slowly. He started off on some heavy medical talk, which I couldn't even understand, let alone follow. When he finished talking, he looked at me expectantly. I must have looked puzzled because Damon squeezed my hand tightly and took a deep breath.

"What he was saying," he said softly. "Was that there's something wrong with you inside. That's why you lost your baby. And…Emma the medical experts say that if you ever try to carry a child full term, you risk not only killing the baby but also yourself. They say you should accept the fact that you will never have a baby of your own"

Silence fell over the room, as I looked Damon to the doctor and back again. And suddenly I needed to cry. I had always said that I never wanted children, but now that I had been told this, I had changed my mind. But I wasn't going to cry in front of them.

"Could you…could you please all go away?" I managed to say, my voice trembling. My doctor nodded and left immediately. Damon hesitated, but Benny grabbed his arm.

"Let her have some time alone" I heard him whisper. "She needs time to think. Emma, we'll be in the café if you need us"

I barely noticed as they left the room, shutting the door carefully behind them. I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow as the tears rolled down my cheeks. I cried for the child I had lost and the children I would never have. And at that moment I realised something. For weeks now, I had been on edge. I had feelings for both Boromir and Damon and I honestly hadn't known whom I wanted. But in that moment I knew. I knew for sure whom I truly loved…

I'm not sure how long I lay there crying. But suddenly Damon was there, putting his arms around me and pulling me against him. Gently he rubbed my back and rocked me back and forth like a baby. 

"I thought I was doing the best for him" I whispered between sobs. "I thought he would be better off without me"

"Who?" Damon sounded puzzled. "Boromir?"

"Yeah. I thought that if I let him go he'd find someone else, someone who wasn't so…so messed up. But…but I miss him Damon"

"I know, I know," he whispered. "And he misses you too. Maybe you should talk to him?"

"I can't" I shook my head. "Not now. I'm no good for him Damon. I can't even give him a child. He won't want me now"

I looked up as Benny came into the room holding a glass of water and two white tablets. 

"The doctor says to take these, Em," he said gently. "They'll make you go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll feel better"

My hands were shaking so Damon held the glass and helped me drink the contents. Then he tucked me into bed and made sure I was comfortable. 

"Damon" I whispered, barely able to keep my eyes open. "I want you to do two things for me"

"Anything"

"Firstly, can you tell Billee, Legolas and Elrond what the doctor said? I just can't face doing it. And will you call Jaime up and tell her as well. Her and Boromir. They should know. Please?"

"Of course I will" Damon kissed me gently on the forehead. "Now go to sleep and don't worry about anything" 

As I drifted off, I heard him speak to Benny. "I had better go home" he said. "Billee, Legolas and Elrond should know first. I'll call Jaime from there. Benny, you stay here just in case she needs someone" That was all I heard before I fell into a deep sleep. 


	33. A Poem and A Phone call (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
A few days after the strange dream, Damon rang. He had very bad news. Not only had Emma lost her baby, but she would never be able to have children again. I had gasped. "Damon, I need you to do something for me. Something important."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can you give me the number to her hospital room?"  
  
"Jamie, I don't know…"  
  
"Please Damon? Please? She's my best friend."  
  
"Okay, just this once, since you gave me a room when you were really busy."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
So Damon gave me the number and told me that she was sleeping at the moment so I should ring tomorrow. I promised and hung up the phone.  
  
A few days later, I rang the number. Billee answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Billee!"  
  
"Jamie? Is That you?"  
  
"Yeah…is she awake?"  
  
"Yeah, hold on." I waited about twenty seconds until Emma came on the phone. I could tell by the sound of her voice, she was crying."  
  
"Hi Jamie."  
  
"Oh Emma. I'm so sorry."  
  
"Don't be. It's no your fault."  
  
"My offer still stands you know, if you want to be a God mother."  
  
"Really? After all the mean stuff I said to you?"  
  
"Even Sally and Gillian had fights."  
  
"Y-you had the dream too?"  
  
"Yeah. It was really weird."  
  
"I miss you Jamie."  
  
"I miss you Emma. When you get out of hospital, you'd better come visit."  
  
"I will. I promise."  
  
"Okay, I'd better go, Boromir looks like he's going to strangle himself with the telephone cord if he doesn't talk to you soon."  
  
Emma laughed. "Okay, put him on."  
  
I gave the phone to Boromir and sat on the couch in the next room, with Casper laying her head in what was left of my lap. I just lay there for a while with my hand on my belly, feeling the baby kick every now and then.  
  
Frodo came home from helping Merry and Pippin and Sam out, and found me cooing a poem to myself. Well actually I was talking to the baby. I caught him smiling and beckoned him to sit next to me. He did and put his hand on my rounding belly. We sat there silently for a while.  
  
Soon, Frodo broke the silence.  
  
"What was that song you were singing when I came home?"  
  
"A poem my Granny Mallory taught me. The Walrus and The Carpenter."  
  
"Recite it for me please."  
  
I smiled. "Okay."  
  
So I recited the poem of the walrus, the carpenter and the oysters.  
  
The sun was shining on the sea,  
  
Shining with all his might:  
  
He did his very best to make  
  
The billows smooth and bright-  
  
And this was odd, because it was  
  
The middle of the night.  
  
The moon was shining sulkily,  
  
Because she thought the sun  
  
Had got no business to be there  
  
After the day was done-  
  
'It's very rude of him,' she said  
  
'To come and spoil the fun!'  
  
The sea was wet as wet could be,  
  
The sands were dry as dry.  
  
You could not see a cloud because,  
  
No cloud was in the sky:  
  
No birds were flying overhead-  
  
There were no birds to fly.  
  
The Walrus and the Carpenter  
  
Were walking close at hand:  
  
They wept like anything to see  
  
Such quantities of sand:  
  
'If only this was cleared away,'  
  
They said. 'It would be grand!'  
  
'If seven maids with seven mops  
  
Swept it for half a year,  
  
Do you suppose,' The Walrus said,  
  
'That they could get it clear?'  
  
'I doubt it,' Said the Carpenter  
  
And shed a bitter tear.  
  
'O, Oysters, come and walk with us!'  
  
The Walrus did beseech.  
  
'A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,  
  
along the briny beach:  
  
We cannot do with more than four,  
  
To give a hand to each.'  
  
The eldest Oyster looked at him,  
  
but never a word he said:  
  
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,  
  
And shook his heavy head-  
  
Meaning to say he did not choose  
  
To leave the oyster-bed.  
  
But four young Oysters hurried up,  
  
All eager for the treat:  
  
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,  
  
Their shoes were clean and neat-  
  
And this was odd, because, you know,  
  
They hadn't any feet.  
  
Four other Oysters followed them,  
  
And yet another four;  
  
And thick and fast they came at last,  
  
And more, and more, and more-  
  
all hopping through the frothy waves,  
  
And scrambling to the shore.  
  
The walrus and the Carpenter  
  
Walked on a mile or so,  
  
And then they rested on a rock  
  
Conveniently low:  
  
And all the little oysters stood  
  
And waited in a row.  
  
'The time has come,' the Walrus said.  
  
'To talk of many things:  
  
Of shoes-and ships-and ceiling wax-  
  
Of cabbages-and kings-  
  
And why the sea is boiling hot-  
  
And whether pigs have wings.'  
  
'But wait a bit,' the Oysters cried,  
  
'Before we have our chat;  
  
For some of us are out of breath,  
  
And all of us are fat!'  
  
'No hurry!' said the Carpenter.  
  
They thanked him much for that.  
  
'A loaf of bread,' The Walrus said,  
  
'Is what we chiefly need:  
  
Pepper and vinegar besides  
  
Are very good indeed-  
  
Now if you're ready Oysters dear,  
  
We can begin to feed.'  
  
'But not on us!' the Oysters cried,  
  
turning a little blue.  
  
'After such kindness, that would be  
  
A dismal thing to do!'  
  
'The night is fine,' the Walrus said.  
  
'Do you admire the view?  
  
'It was so kind of you to come!  
  
And you are very nice!'  
  
The Carpenter said nothing but  
  
'Cut us another slice.  
  
I wish you were not quite so deaf-  
  
I've had to ask you twice!'  
  
'It seems a shame,' the Walrus said,  
  
'To play them such a trick.  
  
After we've brought them out so far,  
  
And made them trot so quick!'  
  
The Carpenter said nothing but  
  
'The butter's spread too thick!'  
  
'I weep for you,' the Walrus said:  
  
'I deeply sympathize.'  
  
With sobs and tears he sorted out  
  
Those of the largest size,  
  
Holding his pocket handkerchief  
  
Before his streaming eyes.  
  
'O, Oysters,' said the Carpenter,  
  
'You've had a pleasant run!  
  
Shall we be trotting home again?'  
  
But answer came there none-  
  
And this was scarcely odd, because  
  
They'd eaten every one.  
  
I finished the poem and looked at Frodo. He had gone to sleep and was leaning against my shoulder. I smiled and got a pillow. Then, settling myself, I fell asleep myself. 


	34. Coming Home (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
**************************************************************************************

Two days after I'd spoken to Jaime, the doctor said that I could go home. Of course, I wasn't supposed to do anything for the first few days, just get a lot of rest. But I was glad to be going home.  

I couldn't do any fast riding, so it was a short but slow journey back to Benny and Damon's place. The others had two rooms at 'The Silver Stallion' since both Benny and Damon get discounts on rooms for working there. On the way back, I was thinking about Boromir. It had been great to hear his voice again, but our conversation had been short and kind of tense. He had asked how I was and I had told him that I was fine, but beyond that…nothing. I had got the feeling that there were things we both wanted to say, but neither of us knew how. We just couldn't talk to each other any more. 

When we got back, Billee, Legolas, Colan, Elrond and Laddie were waiting outside for me. I knelt down and threw my arms around my dog's neck. I was so glad to be back with him. Then I hugged each of the others in turn. They looked relieved to have me back in one piece. I knew that I'd been very lucky. 

We went into the tavern and Bernard, the man who owns it, told me how much everyone had been worrying and how he was glad that I was okay. Then he gave us all a drink to celebrate and we sat in there for a while, until I started to feel tired again. 

"Don't overdo it" Billee said when I told him. "Go back to Damon's and get some sleep. You're still in the process of recovering, so if your body says you're tired, don't fight it"

"Okay, lets go home" Damon quickly drank the last of his drink and stood up. "You can see these guys tomorrow. I get the feeling that they won't be going anywhere in a hurry" 

"Too damn right" Legolas said with a grin. "Don't worry about anything Em, just concentrate on getting well"

I nodded and Laddie and me went back with Damon. He got me a glass of water and I got into bed. Laddie lay at my feet as I looked at the ceiling, thinking about how great it was to be back home. When I finally drifted of to sleep, I had a dream…

I dreamt that it was the night before graduation. Boromir and me were in the secret spot, holding each other and talking. He was in the middle of telling me how much he loved me, when my dad came and pulled me away. I was trying to get back to Boromir but I couldn't…

When I woke up, I understood immediately what the dream meant. But I didn't know what to do to resolve the situation.


	35. Baby Time (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
About five days after I had rung Emma at the hospital, she called from Damon's to say she was out of hospital. I was very happy. I was now, newly into my eighth month of pregnancy. I feeling really good, the morning sickness had finally gone and the weird hunger pangs were finished. The mood swings stayed though, but that was expected, that was what Gina had said anyway. It was about three days after Emma rang that I felt the first contraction.  
  
  
  
It was the middle of the night, and I was restless. I had had a few phantom contractions. So when I felt the first, I didn't really worry. But every fifteen minutes, they ripped through me. I turned over, trying to ignore the pain. But soon it got too unbearable. I shook Frodo awake.  
  
"Wha..? Jamie, sweety, what's wrong?"  
  
"Frodo, I-I think the baby's coming."  
  
That got him out of bed. He gently pulled me up to my feet and led me out the door. I groaned as another contraction ripped through. Frodo kept reassuring me.  
  
'It's okay, you're fine, Jamie. Don't worry. Boromir! Help!"  
  
Boromir came out of his room, with a sleepy look on his face. When he saw me, he went berserk. He helped Frodo get me down the stairs and out the door safely. Then Frodo rushed back in and phoned Dr. Elliot. Then they drove the cart down toward the surgery. Gina met us at the door.  
  
"Jamie, come with me, it's okay. How far apart are the contractions?"  
  
I groaned. "About four minutes."  
  
"Okay, come on. Let's get you in to the theater." She sat me in a wheel chair and wheeled me into the room. Frodo followed, Boromir stayed outside. Gina, Elliot and Frodo all had on the sterilized gowns and masks.  
  
I was trembling. The doctors began their little job of getting the damn kid out of me. They kept telling me to push and I did. I was in the theater for four hours.  
  
(Frodo's POV)  
  
Jamie went into theater and I followed. I was there to hold her hand and tell her she was doing well and all that. I was excited, and worried, and scared all at the same time. Four hours later, Our beautiful baby girl, Arianwen Brooke Baggins, was born, healthy and beautiful. She had Jamie's blue eyes and my dark brown hair. She was perfect in every way. Jamie looked exhausted. I'll bet she was. Bringing another life into the world and all. I went out and told Boromir and he congratulated me and Jamie. I decided to wait until morning before ringing Emma and Billee and Julia and Jake and everyone else. It was only four am. Too early to ring anyone.  
  
I stayed in Jamie's room all night, watching her sleep. It took me an hour to get to sleep myself, because, I was just so happy. My daughter was taken to the nursery and was reported as healthy as could be expected.  
  
  
  
The next morning, I woke up at around eight o'clock. Boromir had gone back to Bag End to get some sleep, Jamie was still sleeping. She looked so sweet. I decided to ring all our friends. Starting, of course, with Emma. I rang Damon's number. Benny answered.  
  
"Hello?" he answered in a sleepy voice.  
  
"Benny, it's Frodo, Jamie's husband."  
  
"Oh hey Frodo, what's up?"  
  
"Jamie had her baby last night."  
  
"Oh my god! Congratulations, man!" I could tell Benny was really happy.  
  
"Do you mind if I talk to Emma, tell her?"  
  
"Hold on, I'll just get her."  
  
There were some muffled voices.  
  
"Hello? Frodo?"  
  
"Hello, Emma."  
  
"What's wrong? Is something wrong with Jamie?" She began to sound worried.  
  
"No. Not at all. I just called to tell you that Arianwen Brooke Baggins entered the world, healthy and screaming."  
  
On the other end of the line, I heard Emma gasp. 


	36. Visiting (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
**************************************************************************************

When Frodo told me, I was hit with mixed emotions. I was really pleased for them both, but at the same time I was upset and jealous, although I know it sounds bad. Jaime was all right, she had a baby. I'd never have one and now every time I saw Jaime, I knew I'd be reminded of the cruel fact that I'd never be a mother. 

"Emma?" Frodo asked. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm…I'm fine" I told him, trying to act as normally as I could. "Congratulations"

"Thanks" Frodo sounded so happy that it was hard not to smile. I knew that he would make a terrific dad. "Could I speak to Billee do you think? Or Elrond?"

"I think Elrond is having a shower," I told him. "But Billee is here"

"Great Emma, put him on will you?" I'll see you soon"

"Bye Frodo" I gave the phone to Billee and sat down at the table with Legolas and Colan. I poured myself a glass of juice and ate some toast. I must have looked a bit down because Legolas asked me what was up.

"Jaime's has her baby," I told him quietly, just as Elrond came in. "Last night"

"Emma…I'm sorry" Legolas said softly. Elrond put a comforting hand on my shoulder. They both knew how hard it was for me. Then Billee hung up the phone and turned to us. 

"Well, I guess this is both good news and bad news" Billee said quietly, hanging up the phone. "Good news for Jaime and bad news…" he trailed off and looked at me sadly. "It's alright," he said. "I know you don't want to talk about it so I won't go on. You know you can talk to us if you need to" I nodded, still looking down at the table. Billee picked up his tea and took a sip before continuing. 

"Frodo asked if we would go down there for a couple of days" he told us. "He says that we can leave as soon as we want, since it's a two day journey there and Jaime will be home by the time we get to Bag End"

"I don't know Billee," I whispered. "I'm just not sure that it will be a good idea…"

"You don't have to go if you don't want to" Elrond told me. "Someone can stay here with you. But I think Jaime may like to see you"

"And I'd like to see her" I admitted. "But I don't think it's going to be easy for me"

"I'll be there" Billee took me hand across the table. "You'll have us"

"Alright, I'll come" I agreed. "As long as we don't stay long"

Billee agreed and called Frodo back to tell him that we were leaving the next day. We were all going; Damon and Benny were coming too. That night I cornered them while we were away from the others.

"Guys" I said slowly. "I'm not sure how Boromir will be when we get there. Can you just stay with me for the first few hours? It's just that I swear Jaime is trying to get us back together and it's going to be bad enough seeing him as it is. He won't say too much if you are with me"

"I don't mind" Damon said, glancing at Benny. "But while we are there, are you going to talk to him?"

"I might do," I told him. "The thing is I'm not sure that either of us are able to talk to each other any more. If an opportunity comes up, then I will take it. Even if we could just talk as friends…" Wishful thinking I know, but there you go.

We started off early the next morning and rode for three days. I still couldn't ride very fast, which is mainly why it took us so long. But finally we got to Bag End and Billee knocked on the door. It was answered by Frodo who had a massive grin on his face.

**************************************************************************************

A/N: Okay, this is a little question for the readers. Out of curiousity, how many of you want to see Emma and Boromir get back together? Even I'm not completely sure whether or not it will happen, but I'd like to know what you think. 


	37. Visitors Galore (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
A/N: Oh come on Silver! Just get them back together already! LOL!  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
(Frodo's POV)  
  
As soon as I heard the knock on the door, I raced to open it. Jamie had been allowed to come home the day before and was sitting at the kitchen table, holding our little Ria.  
  
I opened the door with a ginormous grin on my face. I think I started acting like a little kid, getting a piece of candy. Emma and Billee grinned back at me, though Emma's looked a little strained. Elrond laughed and Benny and Damon just raised their eyebrows and chuckled. I invited them all in. Emma walked in first, gave me a hug and went to see Jamie. I heard them start talking animatedly. The others stopped to talk to me for a while. Elrond congratulated me and shook my hand. I just couldn't get the grin off my face. I was so happy.  
  
(Jamie's POV)  
  
Emma walked into the kitchen and I got up carefully and gave her a hug. Ria burbled and made baby sounds. Emma cooed.  
  
"Can I hold her?"  
  
"Sure." I said and handed her carefully to my best friend. Emma cradled the baby hobbit in her arms. She looked very sad.  
  
"Emma, I'm sorry."  
  
"Not your fault. So don't be."  
  
"You could always adopt. Believe me, you don't want to go through that procedure like I did. It's bloody painful."  
  
That made Emma laugh. I knew it would. The guys came into the kitchen then and they all congratulated me. Elrond gave me a hug. I smiled.  
  
"So, what's her name, Jamie?" asked Elrond.  
  
"Arianwen Brooke Baggins. But referred to as Ria."  
  
Emma handed Ria to Elrond to hold. He took her and tickled her chin. I laughed. Ria, being only three days old, just burbled. Everyone laughed. Casper came in then. He looked up at all the people in the room and recognized everyone but Benny. She sniffed him cautiously and he knelt down to pat her. Quickly, she ran to her old basket and brought her tennis ball to him, hoping to play catch, no doubt. Everyone laughed again.  
  
"It looks like you've made a friend, Benny." Said Frodo.  
  
Boromir chose to come in at that moment. Everyone but Damon, Benny and Emma said hello. He smiled at everyone and said hello back. Then I saw him glance at Emma. I think he was hoping to talk to her. I don't know.  
  
Someone else knocked on the door and I went to answer it. I opened it and smiled when I saw Sam, Merry, Pippin, Blue, Reesa, Rosie, Julia, Jake, Stacey, Tracy and Baz at the door.  
  
"Hi guys. You come to see the kidlet?"  
  
"Yep. Congratulations, Sis." Said Julia and gave me a big hug. I got a big hug from everyone. As they all walked inside, I pulled the twins aside.  
  
"You two, stop flirting with Boromir. Emma is here now. And I don't want the atmosphere anymore tense between them. Okay?"  
  
The twins promised. And then we all walked into the kitchen. I began making tea and coffee for everyone. 


	38. Feelings not spoken (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.  
  
Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
(Billee's POV)

The atmosphere in that kitchen was so tense; you could cut it with a knife. Benny and Damon were sitting each side of Emma, like a pair of bodyguards, and constantly glaring at Boromir. Stacey and Tracey kept glancing in Boromir's direction and giggling. Every time they did, both Emma and Jaime would scowl at them. Everyone else was trying to act normal and pretend that nothing was going on. However, I could see that the strain was getting to Emma and I wondered whether she would be able to cope. She seemed to be handling everything fairly well, but I knew that she would finally crack. She always did, she's just not cut out for these situations.

Legolas and I were sitting on the other side of Damon. Benny and Elrond were engaged in an interesting conversation about Benny's time at school. Most of the others were holding their own conversations around the room, except Boromir who was sitting in the corner looking like the world had ended. I guess to him, it probably had. I mean, I love Legolas with all my heart and I couldn't imagine being without him, so I could kind of understand how Boromir felt. 

"Hey, Elrond" I heard Benny say. "Do you remember Mattie? Matt Stuart?"

"I do indeed" Elrond replied and I had to smile. Elrond never forgets his students or so he says. Considering the fact that he's taught hundreds of people, it doesn't seem likely, but who am I to argue?

"Do you remember?" Benny said with a laugh. "When Galadriel caught him and his girlfriend screwing in the stationary cupboard, and she was so shocked, she fainted?"

He and Elrond started laughing. Emma laughed too and even Damon gave a small smile. 

When they had stopped laughing, Elrond turned to Benny with his 'serious' face on.

"If you don't mind me asking, Benny?" he said. "Weren't you going to go to medical school and become a doctor?"

"I did go, for a while at least" Benny shrugged. "But in the end, I realised that I was only going to keep my parents happy and it wasn't really what I wanted to do. I may not have a steady job at the moment, but I'm happy"

"Well that's what counts" Elrond said with a smile. "But you have talent Benny. Don't let it go to waste"

"Oh he doesn't" Damon cut in. "Definitely not. I keep telling him that he's very lucky to have had an education"

"You didn't go to school?" Julia sounded surprised. "Didn't you have any education at all?"

"I know how to read, write and do sums," Damon told her. "And I learn a lot from reading books. I just don't have any exam results to prove it"

"But why didn't you go to school?" Julia persisted. I clenched my fists in anger. I knew that she didn't mean to offend anyone, but in my experience, some people can be tactless even if they don't mean to be. 

"My mother is crazy" Damon said slowly. "She's been like it since I was a little boy. She was in and out of hospital all through my childhood and when my dad died I had to take care of her full time"

"I'm sorry" Julia said quietly. "I didn't…"

"It don't matter" Damon said quickly. "What's done is done. It's in the past now"

I looked at Emma. She seemed completely uninterested in anything going on around her; in fact she looked half asleep. Since her little brush with death, she's been sleeping a lot. And the ride here had taken a lot out of her. I tapped Damon's arm and he turned to look at me.

"Damon, I think Emma needs to go to bed for a while" I said quietly. "She looks done in" Damon got up and went to talk to Jaime. A minute later he came back. 

"Jaime said she can sleep in one of the spare rooms," he said. "Come on, give us a hand"

Gently I helped Emma to her feet. She looked really dopey, like she wasn't completely there. 

"What are you looking at?" Benny snapped, seeing that some of the others were watching us. "Go on, get on with your own business. Nothing interesting here"

"Thanks Benny" I whispered. When she's in these sorts of states, Emma had a phobia of being looked at. I guess she's afraid that everyone will laugh at her afterwards or something. I don't know, it just strikes me as kind of odd.

Between us, Damon and me got her upstairs and put her to bed. She fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. We stood there for a minute, just watching her sleep.

"Damon" I said after a minute. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go on" he agreed. "What's on your mind?"

"Did you…?" I began, and then stopped, not sure how to go on. "Did you sleep with Emma?" I said finally. Damon looked at me for a minute, his expression unreadable. 

"Yes" he said slowly. "Once. The night before Jaime's wedding. I…Well if you want to lay the blame on someone she started it. But it was what we both wanted. Why do you ask?"

"Because" I said with a sigh. "I think a lot of people believe that Emma dropped Boromir for you"

"I haven't touched her since then" Damon looked at her and shook his head. "It was just one night. That's all. There's nothing happening between us"

"I believe you. Do you love her, Damon?"

"It doesn't matter" Damon said softly. "She doesn't love me, she loves Boromir. Oh, she might deny it, but she does"

"I know" I put one hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Damon. You've been a good friend to her"

"There was nothing else I could have done" He smiled at me affectionately. "Come on, let's go downstairs. She'll be okay for a few hours"

I nodded and followed him out of the room. Boromir was standing outside the door.

"How is she?" he asked. "Is she okay?" 

"She's asleep," Damon said coldly. "You coming Billee?"

I shook my head and went to the bathroom. When I had finished, I went to look in on Emma again before I went downstairs. On the bedside table was the engagement ring, which she had given back to Boromir, with a note. Quietly, being careful not to wake her, I picked it up. I was shocked by what it said.

Dear Emma

By the time you read this, I'll be gone. But I just

want you to know that I will always love you, no

matter what. Please keep the ring, there's no other 

girl who I would want to give it too. You have my heart

forever. I love you, and nothing will ever change that.

Boromir  

That note brought tears to my eyes and I couldn't help wondered what Emma would think when she read it. Only one thing puzzled me, when he said he was leaving, where was he planning to go. I ran downstairs and burst into the kitchen.

"Where's Boromir?" I asked quickly. Jaime looked up at me sadly. 

"He's gone," she said. "You just missed him. He said he had some urgent business to take care of"


	39. Boromir Leaves and a chat with Julia (Ja...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: If we did own them, we would tell you, you know.  
  
Summary: Crikey, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Boromir came in, holding his bag. I must have looked confused.  
  
"I'm going. It's too tense, with me here. Give Ria a hug and kiss for me."  
  
"Boromir. Don't go. Please."  
  
"I have to Jamie. I'll call when I get back to Gondor."  
  
I held Ria in my arms and made her wave bye-bye. "Say bye-bye to Uncle Boromir, Ria." Ria burbled and drooled.  
  
Boromir gave a sad smile and left. About ten seconds later, Billee raced down stairs asking where Boromir was. I told him he had just left and had gone back to Gondor. Billee looked sad and showed me the note that Boromir had left for Emma. I smiled.  
  
"I always knew he loved her. I think when she wakes up, you'd better give her the ring and the note. But I'd better put Ria down for a sleep."  
  
I went upstairs to our room and put the little one in her crib. She fell asleep almost instantly. Poor thing. Julia knocked softly on my door.  
  
"Jamie? Are you there?"  
  
"Shh. Ria is sleeping."  
  
"Sorry." She whispered. "Do you have anything to do?"  
  
"No not really. But I'd better stay here. Ria might wake up at anytime."  
  
"I was just going to say, do you want to come out to the garden for a while."  
  
"You know, I think I do need to get out more often."  
  
So we went outside and walked around the gardens for a while.  
  
"Well, I can't believe I am an aunt already. I haven't even found the perfect guy yet." Said Julia.  
  
"Oh, don't start that with me. I saw those looks you were giving Benny."  
  
Julia blushed. I raised an eyebrow. "So…it is true then. You like Benny."  
  
"Do not."  
  
"Do too."  
  
"Do not."  
  
"Do too."  
  
"Do NOT!"  
  
"Child."  
  
"Am not."  
  
"Are too."  
  
"Am not."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Okay." We began laughing. Sometimes, Julia and I were so much alike and at other times, we just were complete opposite.  
  
I heard Ria crying then and had to race upstairs to get her. My life as a mother was hectic. But I loved it. I always thought, though, how Emma felt. I knew she was jealous. But I wondered if she'd think about adopting. But it wasn't my decision, it was hers. 


	40. Everything's gonna be alright (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: If we did own them, we would tell you, you know.  
  
Summary: Crikey, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****

(Billee's POV)

After showing the note to Jaime, I took it back upstairs and put it back where I had found it. I was sorry I had missed Boromir, maybe I could have somehow persuaded him to stay. Anyhow, he was gone now and I wasn't even supposed to be involved in the first place. I felt sad that they couldn't work things out since they made a great couple, but at the end of the day, it's down to them. 

As it begun to get dark, most of the others went home. Me, Legolas, Frodo, Elrond, Benny and Damon sat around the table playing cards, while Colan was playing on the floor with Jasper and Laddie and Jaime was feeding Ria. It was a nice little scene, it really was. But it wasn't the same without Emma there. I wanted to go up and see if she was okay, but Damon told me to leave her to sleep. 

(Emma's POV)

It was getting dark outside when I woke up. At first I didn't remember where I was, but then I realised that I was in one of Jaime's spare rooms. Downstairs I could hear the others laughing, I was glad because I knew I wasn't alone. I sat up to pet Laddie and something gold caught my eye. I turned my head to the bedside table and saw my engagement ring sitting there, along with a note. Slowly I picked them both up and read the note. I was shocked by what it said.

"Oh Laddie" I whispered. "I only wanted to do the best for him" Then I knew that I couldn't just let him go. I had to talk to him. 

I put the note in my pocket and slipped the engagement ring back on my finger. Then I went to the window and looked out. It was beginning to rain and it was getting darker by the minute. I knew that if I told the others what I was going to do, they would never let me go, so I'd have to sneak out. Luckily, there was a large tree by Jaime's window and I'm quite good at going down trees. I was only wearing a short sleeved shirt, but Benny had left his jacket on the end of my bed so I put that on, opened the window and climbed out. 

Laddie went downstairs and out through the back door and met me outside. Sol-leks, who had been sheltering under a tree, came wandering over too. He seemed to want to come with us and I decided to let him. At least I knew I'd be safe with Sol-leks there. 

Slowly we headed to toward Bree. I could only ride slowly and I knew my hopes of catching up with Boromir were low, but I had to try. Before he went, I had to talk to him and try to explain why I did what I did. 

Somewhere about half way between Hobbiton and Bree, Sol-leks, who was running ahead of Flamedancer, stopped and growled. I went forward carefully and saw a sight that made my heart leap. Boromir was standing under a tree, his back to me and his bag at his feet. 

When I called his name, he turned round and we just looked at each other or a moment. Then I slowly walked towards him and slipped my arms around him. He froze, obviously not quite sure what was happening, then hugged me so hard it almost hurt. 

"I'm sorry" I whispered. "I'm sorry"

"So am I" he told me. "Did you get my note?"

"That's why I came after you" I told him. "Boromir, I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you, but I though…I though you would be better off with someone else. Someone who wasn't so messed up"

"Oh Emma" he gently kissed the top of my head. "You really think I could find anyone else to love?" He must have known what I was going to ask, because he went on before I had the chance to say anything. "I know things have changed" he told me. "And I don't care. Whatever happens, we'll get through it. I can get through anything as long as you love me"

"I love you" I was crying now, I couldn't help it. "I always have"

We stood there quietly, just the two of us in the rain. Then Boromir gently raised my head and kissed me. I knew that there was a lot we had to talk about, but in the meantime, at least we were okay…


	41. Hospitality.... (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: If we did own them, we would tell you, you know.  
  
Summary: Crikey, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
As I fed Ria, I looked out the window. Emma was racing away oh her horse, no doubt to find Boromir. I glanced at Frodo and we both shared a knowing smile. Then I looked at my daughter. She was burbling and drooling. Being only four days old, she was very alert. While I had changed her nappy, she had grabbed one of her stuffed animals and faced it, burbling to it in baby talk and waiting every now and then, as though listening to it answer. It was so cute.  
  
After I had finished feeding her, I picked up Ria and gave her to Frodo, who showed her his cards, and in a serious voice he said, 'Don't tell anyone what my cards are, okay?" That got everyone laughing, and I think the sudden noise startled her, because she began to cry and I had to take her to rock her to sleep.  
  
Just then, Emma and Boromir came in and everyone glanced up. After about five seconds of silence, Billee and Benny began clapping quietly, with big grins on their faces. Then everyone else began clapping quietly, obviously so as not to wake up Ria. I had grinned at them. Julia came over and took the sleeping baby from me and I went upstairs, filled two bath tubs with hot water and grabbed fluffy towels, then came back down and dragged the two wet bedraggled lovebirds and sent them to the bathroom to have a wash and get out of those wet clothes. They glanced at me gratefully and stepped into the bathroom, where I had also put clean changes of clothes. Being a mother already and I was being as hospitable as Granny Mallory used to be when she had visitors. I sighed to myself.  
  
I had nothing else to do, I went downstairs and took my daughter from my sister, the I went into the lounge and put on a video. Spy Kids, I think it was. I laughed at the funny parts and gasped at the scary parts, Emma came down and we watched it together. I thought it was pretty funny. Emma was sitting there not really watching it, she had that love-struck grin on her face and I tried not to laugh. She looked so cute.  
  
Ria woke up then and began squirming. I decided to feed her. As I fed her, I innocently asked what had changed her mind about Boromir.  
  
She looked at me. "A note, he wrote to me. Before he left."  
  
I nodded approvingly. "You know, he loves you a whole lot. Why do you think he could do with something better?"  
  
"You read the note?"  
  
"About ten seconds after Boromir left Billee found it and showed it to me. I'm totally innocent."  
  
Emma smiled and settled back to watch the movie. I kept feeding Ria and then put her to sleep. It indeed seemed like everything was goning to be all right. 


	42. Back on track (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: If we did own them, we would tell you, you know.  
  
Summary: Crikey, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
(Emma's POV)

After our little reunion, Boromir insisted that we get back to Jaime's quickly. We were both soaked through and the though of being indoors was an appealing one. 

"I'm glad you came" Boromir said softly. "I hoped you would"

"I couldn't have just let you go" I replied, glancing out of the corner of my eye. "I love you too much to let you just escape," He laughed and I smiled at him. Things were getting back to normal. There were still things that we needed to talk about, but I figured that they could wait until tomorrow. I was feeling happy for the first time in goodness knows how long and I didn't want anything to spoilt that. 

When we got back to Jaime's, everyone started clapping, apart from Damon who didn't even look up. I looked at Benny, but he just shrugged his shoulders. I couldn't help but notice the looks that Julia was giving Benny, before Jaime hurried us upstairs. We had a bath and changed our clothes before going back down to join the others. Boromir went and sat in the kitchen with the others and I went to watch a video with Jaime. She asked me what had made me change my mind about Boromir and I told her about the note. Course it turned out that she already knew! Trust her and Billee to find something they should have. Still, I couldn't be angry, not when I still felt so happy. 

"Emma, I don't want to upset you or anything," Jaime said carefully. "But have you thought about adopting?"

"It's the only real option, I suppose," I said with a shrug. "To be honest, I haven't really thought about anything to do with kids. You see if I adopt…it won't really be mine, will it?"

"I see what you mean. Have you spoken to Boromir about it yet?"

"No" I said slowly. "We haven't really talked much, to tell you the truth. I thought I'd talk to him tomorrow, when we aren't so tired and everything"

"It's going to be a pretty tight squeeze," Jaime warned me. "You and Boromir can sleep in the small room, Elrond can sleep on the sofa and Billee and Legolas can have the other room. Damon and Benny will have to make do with the gardeners quarters again"

"It's okay, we've slept in worse places" Benny said, sticking his head around the door. "Speaking of which, I think we'll get some sleep now. It's been a long day. Night Jaime, night Emma"

"Night Benny" we called back. "Night Damon"

"Goodnight" came the moody reply from the hallway. Jaime looked at me puzzled. I just shook my head. 

"Damon has always been a moody guy," I whispered. "He'll be back to normal tomorrow"

"I think I'll get some rest too" We stood up and Jaime gave me a hug. "I'm glad you're back together," she confessed. "You and Boromir are prefect for each other"

"Thanks" I said with a grin. Then we went upstairs to get ready for bed. I got undressed and into bed first and Laddie jumped in Boromir's space. He gave a laugh.

"Guess that dog is trying to tell me something," he said smirking. "Go on Laddie, move up" Laddie obediently shifted over to my other side, squashing my legs in the process. Believe me, trying to fit the three of us into a small bed was a nightmare.

Boromir leant over and kissed me goodnight. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his hair. I just couldn't believe that I had him back with me, after spending so long apart from him. He just lay there, holding me and stroking my back gently. I was beginning to feel tired, but before I went to sleep, there was something I needed to know.

"Boromir?" I said sleepily. "You know you love me? Even though I can be really depressed and nasty and I worry everyone?"

"I wouldn't say you were that bad," Boromir told me gently. "Besides it isn't your fault. None of it is. I'll love you no matter what you do"

"Can you promise me something?"

"Anything" he agreed. "Anything"

"Promise me you'll never leave me," I whispered, tightening my grip around his waist. "Promise me"

"Of course I'll never leave you" Boromir said patiently. "I haven't left you yet, and I never will. Like I told you earlier, no matter what happens, we'll face it together. I promise you that I will always be here"

"Even though…even though I can't give you a child?" I asked, not wanting to hear the answer. Boromir hesitated for a second.

"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a bit disappointed when I heard" he admitted. "I've always taken it for granted that I would have kids one day. But…but I'd sooner have you. I wouldn't want anyone else to be the mother of my children. So if it were a choice between you and a woman who could have my child, I wouldn't even have to consider it. You're the only one I want. You are the only one I've ever wanted"

He held me close until I fell sleep. And that night in his arms, I slept better than I had done for a long time.


	43. A shock for Jamie (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: If we did own them, we would tell you, you know.  
  
Summary: Crikey, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
After a night of constantly getting up when Ria cried, I slept in. When I woke up, it was near ten o'clock. Frodo was already up and he must have taken Ria downstairs with him. He was a great father. I got up and had a short shower, then, getting dressed, I walked down stairs. Emma was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the morning paper. She looked up when I entered.  
  
"Good morning, Sleepyhead." She said, grinning. I smiled.  
  
"Good morning. Where is everyone?"  
  
"Frodo, Boromir, Legolas and Billee all went down town to do some 'guy stuff'. They left Ria here with me, so don't worry she's safe."  
  
"What about my silly siblings and relatives?"  
  
"Outside with Wendy and Colan, playing with the dogs."  
  
"oh." I grabbed myself some toast and began to butter it. Emma glanced at me.  
  
"You don't look to good. You look really tired."  
  
"I know. Ria was keeping me up half the night."  
  
"Poor thing."  
  
"Believe me, it's not always easy being a mother, sometimes, it's absolute torture."  
  
Emma laughed. Elrond walked in and smiled at me.  
  
"Good morning, Jamie."  
  
"Morning Elrond. How are you?"  
  
"All right. Where are Benny and Damon?"  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
"I think they are still in the gardeners quarters, sleeping." Said Emma.  
  
"Jamie, I got a call from some of the teachers last night, after you went to bed. They said to say congratulations, to you both."  
  
"Aww, gee. Thanks."  
  
Emma and Elrond laughed again, then Baz, Jake, Julia, Stacey, Tracy, Colan and Wendy came in. They all said good morning, and I earned a hug from Wendy and Colan. I laughed. They were the cutest kids you could find.  
  
The was a knock at the door.  
  
"I'll answer it." I said, getting up. "It's no use me being lazy."  
  
So I went to the door and opened it. My mother stood there.  
  
I was so shocked, I almost slammed the door in her face. But I kept my cool.  
  
"Hello, Mum." I said, what I thought was calmly. My mother regarded me with what looked like guilt.  
  
"Hello, Jamie." I was surprised. She wasn't drunk. She was as sober as a priest on Sunday.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I've left your father. He was getting to be to much of an asshole."  
  
"Shh. There are young children present."  
  
"Sorry. So is it true?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Am I a Grandmother, now?"  
  
"You could say that, yes."  
  
"Well, what was it? A boy? A girl? What?"  
  
"She's a girl, her name is Arianwen Brooke Baggins and you keep away from her."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, you don't know how to treat a little baby."  
  
"You're right. You little smart aleck." I scowled.  
  
"Go away. You are no relative of mine."  
  
"Fine. But I'll be back to see my granddaughter. Just you wait."  
  
I shut the door and walked back to the kitchen. The others looked up.  
  
"Who was it?" asked Julia.  
  
"Our mother." I said. All my siblings looked shocked.  
  
"What did she want?" My little brother practically snarled. He never liked our mother. Not one little bit.  
  
"She wanted to see my daughter."  
  
"I hope you said no."  
  
"I did."  
  
"Good. That woman thinks she can get away with anything." Said Stacey. Tracy nodded. That was why they had left home in the first place. Mum had wanted to know everything about their personal lives. And when I say everything, I mean everything. She even wanted to know when they had sex. She was so gross.  
  
But, if she ever came around here, she would be turned away at the door, straight away. 


	44. Bad news comes in threes (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: If we did own them, we would tell you, you know.  
  
Summary: Crikey, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

(Damon's POV)

I slept in the next morning, and woke up to find Benny pacing up and down the room, reading a leaflet of some sort. He was muttering under his breath and that was what woke me. I rolled onto my side and reached for my shirt.

"Can't you be a little quieter?" I mumbled, still half asleep. "What are you doing anyway?"

Benny threw the leaflet at me and I just managed to catch it before it hit me in the head. Quickly I read it through and felt my heart sink. It seemed as though it was more bad news for Emma.

"We'll have to tell her," I said sadly. "This isn't good. Just when things seemed to be going right for her too"

"I know" Benny said with a sigh, sitting down to put his riding boots on. It was a warm day so he didn't bother with a shirt; he's way more relaxed about that kind of thing than me. I put on my jeans and together we walked to the kitchen. 

It was a complete uproar when we walked in, just at the same time that Frodo, Billee, Boromir and Legolas came in too. Jaime was trying to tell us something, but her siblings kept butting in, so that no one could make out what she was saying. Finally, Benny took charge.

"Shut up!" he yelled. Casper gave a yelp and shot under the table. Everyone shut up immediately and turned to look at him. I noticed Julia's eyes widen as she realised that he was wearing no shirt and I couldn't help smirking to myself. Benny slumped down in a chair and looked at Jaime.

"Go on Jaime" he encouraged. "And everyone else stay quiet"

Jaime told us about her mother turning up wanting to see little Ria. I shook my head in despair. Parents!

"Well that is bad news" Legolas said with a sigh. "And it seems it gets worse"

"Jaime" Billee said slowly. "I just saw your mother. She was with Emma's father. They seemed rather friendly."

"Crap" Benny said, just a little too loudly. "Sorry" he added quickly, looking around. "I was just thinking out loud"

"This is bad" Elrond said quietly. "Where is your mother, Emma?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Emma asked, surprised. "She left my father and moved across the sea to live with her sister. But I don't know exactly where. Still I'd rather deal with her than…" she broke off and shivered. Boromir put his arm around her and whispered in her ear. Emma nodded at his words, but she still didn't look happy.

"So now we have Jaime's mother and Emma's father to deal with," Elrond mused. "I wouldn't be surprised if Jaime's father showed up next"

"Probably" Billee said softly. "They always say that bad news comes in threes"

"Actually" Benny said softly. "I think in this case it's true. I…we have some bad news for Emma"

"What about?" Emma looked pale. The poor girl had been though too much already. I could only hope that this wouldn't destroy her.

"You know you said you were thinking of adopting" Benny said gently. "Well, I've been reading up about it and…and the fact that you have been in hospital and everything…"

"What Benny is trying to say" I said sadly. "Is that you have been in hospital twice because you have tried to kill yourself and that is going to show up on your medical records. If you try and adopt, they are just going to look at that and say that you aren't fit to take care of a baby"

"You mean…?" her voice was barely more than a whisper. "We can't adopt?"

"I'm sorry" Benny said gently. "It's out of the question"

Emma looked completely devastated, her last hopes dashed. She pulled away from Boromir and ran from the room. We all looked at each other sadly. Boromir started to go after her, but Jaime put a hand on his arm.

"I'll go," she said. "Maybe she will talk to me"

"Well" Frodo said sadly, as Jaime left the room. "I guess you were right Billee. Bad news really does come in threes"


	45. First with the Head...(Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: If we did own them, we would tell you, you know.  
  
Summary: Crikey, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
"Emma!" I called as I raced after her. She was sobbing. I caught up to her and slowed her down. She put her head on my shoulder and began to sob profusely. I comforted her. Poor thing. How much bad news could come into one day?  
  
"I had my hopes up so high, too. Now their flat on the ground." She said, sniffling.  
  
"I know. It's okay. You can always come and visit Ria, whenever you want. You are, after all, her god mother."  
  
Emma sniffled again. "Really?"  
  
"Really, Really." I said. We walked back to the house.  
  
On the way back, a familiar figure stepped out of the trees. Emma's father. He was holding my mother and she was struggling.  
  
"So, the Hobbit-lass and my daughter are still friends, I wonder why?" He sneered.  
  
"Let me go you fucking asshole!" screamed my mother. His grip just tightened.  
  
Emma looked scared. I watched Mr. Silverblade with utmost hatred.  
  
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Bat boy." I said coolly. Mr. Silverblade glared.  
  
"You have a lot of nerve." He said.  
  
"Oh I have a lot more than nerve. I have attitude."  
  
"Really. I'd like to see that. Tell you what, I'll trade you your mother for my daughter."  
  
Emma looked at me pleading, secretly, so Mr. Silverblade couldn't see, I winked at her. I was going to trick Mr. Silverblade.  
  
"I'll tell you what. You do anything you want to my mother, I don't care. And I'll keep Emma."  
  
"That wasn't part of the deal."  
  
"Oh really?" I advanced on him. He was much taller than me but I didn't feel afraid. Emma stayed back.  
  
Mr. Silverblade glared down at me. I glared up at him. Then without warning, I kicked my leg high and hit him squarely in the 'crown jewels'. He groaned, his eye popping, he sank to the ground and grabbing at his crotch, he whimpered. I spat on him. "You disgust me." was all I said and advanced on my mother. She looked at me with wide eye, she was afraid of her own daughter, I almost laughed out loud.  
  
"Jamie, don't do anything to me, please." She actually pleaded. "I'll do anything."  
  
"Anything? Well, you can take your new boyfriend here, and move across the sea and never come back here again. I hate you. You never cared for us or anything. So I'm not going to care for you."  
  
I linked arms with Emma and we walked away. Emma looked at me in wonder.  
  
"That was spectacular. You didn't even look afraid."  
  
"I wasn't. There was one thing my brother Mark taught me before he died-"  
  
"You had a brother? Besides Jake?"  
  
"Yeah. He was Benny's best friend."  
  
"What did he teach you."  
  
"He taught me the motto out of that book 'The Power of One'."  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"First with the head, then with the heart, that's how you keep ahead from the start." 


	46. A Decision (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: If we did own them, we would tell you, you know.  
  
Summary: Crikey, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

(Emma's POV)

Although I was glad that Jaime had stood up to my father, I got the feeling that his cruel games weren't over yet. His 'game' with Jaime's mother had only confirmed my worst fears. That since my mother left him, my father would stop at nothing to get me back. II just couldn't help wondering how far he was willing to go. Having him around was the last thing I needed.

When we got back to Bag End, I told Jaime that I was going up to my room. I needed some time alone, to think about things. Besides, I was having mild stomach pains and they were making me worried. I just needed to lie down for a while.

I'd only been lying there for a few minutes, when the door opened and someone came in.

"Emma" Boromir said quietly. "Are you…are you alright?"

"Do I look all right?" I muttered. "Just leave me alone"

"Can't we talk about this?" he pleaded. "It isn't the end of the world," I could tell by his voice that he was lying and something inside me snapped.

"What is there to talk about?" I asked angrily. "You want kids and while you stay with me, you're never going to have them. So why don't you go and find a woman who can give you what you want!"

"Emma, I don't want…" he started, but I cut him off.

"You say you won't leave me" I spat. "But we both know that if you stay with me, you're only going to regret it in the long run. Just go" I was getting hysterical now and I could see that he looked worried. 

"Okay, I'll go" he agreed. "But we'll talk when you are calmer"

He left, shutting the door quietly behind him. I tried to go to sleep, but I just couldn't. My stomach felt all weird, like I was going to be sick or something.

About twenty minutes later, the door opened a crack and Damon looked in. I opened my eyes and pulled myself into a sitting position, telling him to come in. He did, followed closely by Benny as usual.

"Boromir told us that you were a bit upset," Damon said gently. "And…well we wanted to say, don't worry about your dad. Benny and me will sort him out if he comes anywhere near you again. Sol-leks is even standing guard at the front door for you"

"Thanks guys" I gave them a small smile and they turned to leave. "Wait" I called out suddenly. "Benny, I know that you are no doctor, but I've been having stomach cramps and I'm a bit worried. Could you check and see if I'm okay?"

"Sure, no problem" Benny agreed. While Damon stood by the door, Benny came over and put one hand on my stomach. When he took it away, he looked both puzzled and worried. He went over to Damon and whispered something in his ear. Damon looked shocked and shook his head. Benny turned back to me.

"Emma" he said seriously. "Is there any history of twins in your family?"

"My mother has a twin sister" I replied, completely confused about why he was asking. Benny just nodded and walked up and down the room for a minute. When he stopped, his face was pale.

"Emma" he said slowly. "I can feel something moving inside you. You're still pregnant"

"But how is that possible?" Damon asked. "She lost it. The doctor said so"

"If a woman is carrying twins" Benny explained. "Usually if she miscarriages, she loses both babies. But occasionally, one baby manages to hold on. This is a bloody miracle, especially if you consider how weak Emma was. It's amazing that she didn't lose both. Unfortunately Emma, now you have to make a big decision"

"What sort of decision?" I didn't particularly want to hear the answer, but I knew that I'd have to. 

"Whether to go ahead with your pregnancy, despite the risks" Benny knelt by my bed and took my hand. "How far gone are you?"

I tried to think. "About four and a half months, I think," I said finally. "There's still a big chance that I could lose it, isn't there?"

"If you choose to go ahead with it," Benny sounded awfully worried. "There's only about ten percentage chance that you and your baby will come out alive"

"It will be a big risk to take" Damon muttered. "The chances that we'll lose you are far too great"

"I know what any sensible doctor would advise you to do" Benny said with a sigh. "But at the end of the day, you know the risks and the finally decision is yours"

"I'm going to go through with it," I said, without a moment's hesitation. "This is going to be my only chance"

"Well, there are things you could do, to lessen your chances of losing your baby" Benny said with a sigh. "If you really are determined to go through with this"

"I am"

"No heavy exercise, especially riding" Benny began. "In fact don't do anything that puts pressure on your stomach. Get a lot of rest too, don't push yourself to do anything. Personally, I'd pick one place you want to stay, either Rivendell or Silverwood or wherever and stay there until the baby is born, since you shouldn't be travelling full stop. And lastly, try tot to get worked up about things. It won't do you any good"

"Thanks Benny, thanks Damon" I gave them a weary smile. "I think I had better tell the others. But I know that they'll try and talk me out of it"

"As long as it is your choice, I guess that is all that matters" I got to my feet and Benny slipped his arm around my waist to steady me. Slowly we walked downstairs and went into the kitchen. Everyone looked up. Jaime, Frodo, Julia, Baz, Jake, Billee, Legolas, Boromir and Elrond were all there. I don't know where the others were, probably in the garden or something. 

"Emma" Jaime began to stand up. "Are you okay? I heard that you were a bit upset"

"Sit down Jaime" Damon said gently. "Emma has something to tell you"

"I'm pregnant," I whispered. "And despite the risks, I'm going through with it"

The whole room stared at me in amazement.


	47. Tag, movies and singing (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nadda but our own characters  
  
Summary: Stuff it. We dunno.  
  
A/N: Sorry it took me a while to update, I went to a 21st birthday party. One thing I want to say…CHOCOLATE CAKE ROCKS!  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
I'm sure my jaw was on the floor. I was the first one to speak.  
  
"Oh shi…taki mushrooms." I was about to swear, but Colan and Wendy came in from playing with Casper.  
  
Emma remained quiet. Frodo held Ria, who was sleeping, in his arms, with a look of complete shock on his face.  
  
"Well," He said. "That was completely unexpected."  
  
That seemed to break the silence and tension, and everybody laughed.  
  
  
  
Later, I was holding Ria who was awake now, and I was walking with Emma to the low branch where I had told her I was pregnant, about nine and a half months ago.  
  
"So, are you thinking of names?"  
  
"I'm trying. But I can't really think."  
  
"You and Boromir will make the cutest couple."  
  
"Like you and Frodo." I blushed.  
  
"Emma!" We both turned around and saw Boromir running towards us. I tried not to laugh, he looked so happy. He picked her up and twirled her around and set her back down. He looked so excited.  
  
Emma was laughing fit to burst. It was great to see her so happy again.  
  
"I'll leave you two chickadees to talk." I said and as Ria burbled and waved her arms around, I walked away, leaving them alone.  
  
I sat on the garden swing and began to feed my little girl. She was so cute. As I fed her, I began singing softly to myself. I sang that Britney Spears song, 'I'm not a girl, not yet a woman'. Frodo came over and sat next to me. He waited until I had finished singing and regarded me for a few moments.  
  
"You know, Jamie, you should go for professional singing. You are very good."  
  
I knew for sure I was blushing. I always did when someone flattered me. Frodo just laughed when he saw my ears turn pink.  
  
After that, we just watched Colan and Wendy persuade Benny, Billee, Legolas and Damon to play tag with them. We laughed so much because the guys always slowed down for the little ones, but fastened their pace when one of the bigger guys got tagged.  
  
That night, everyone gathered in the lounge for the Saturday night movie of the week. Every week, Frodo and I always rented a movie. Tonight, it was 'Toy Story 2' for the little kids, and then when they had gone to bed, the older people would watch a more adult movie. The older one was 'The Gift'. We all began to giggle when the main character came on screen and told eachother how much this actress Cate Blanchette looked so much like our old form teacher, Galadriel.  
  
Elrond was laughing too. It was just such a remarkable resemblance. Except of course, Galadriel had long white-blonde hair while the character had shorter red-brown hair.  
  
  
  
A/N: The chapter where Ria was born, I said she had Frodo's brown hair and Jamie's blue eyes, some one asked if Frodo had blue eyes too. He does, but they are a pale blue. Jamie's eyes are a really dark blue. So that answers your questions. :-) 


	48. Names and Mr Silverblade (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nadda but our own characters  
  
Summary: Stuff it. We dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****

After Jaime left us, Boromir put on his serious face and I knew what he was going to say.

"Emma" he said slowly. "I am thrilled that you are pregnant, but is it really worth the risk? I know how much this baby means, not just to you but to me too, but I really don't want to lose you"

"I'm afraid," I admitted, leaning my head against his chest. "The chances are so low, that when I think about it I get scared. But…but I have to go through with it. I…I just have to. It's my only chance"

"I understand" Boromir nodded. "I'm sure you will be alright"

"Yeah" I agreed. "At least I hope so"

"What are we going to call it?" Boromir asked. "Any ideas?"

"Him" I said firmly. "It's going to be a boy" Don't ask me how I knew, I just did. Boromir laughed.

"A boy's name it is" he said with a grin. "Nezil? How's that?"

"You have got to be kidding," I said with a laugh. "Where did you find that name?"

"In a book" he said with a shrug. "Okay, maybe not"

We went backwards and forwards, laughing at each other's ideas for names. It made me feel better and for a while I believed that everything really would be all right. As we watched Colan and Wendy chase the bigger guys around the garden, I suddenly had an idea. I whispered in Boromir's ear and he nodded. 

"That sounds good," he agreed. "Whatever you want"

By the time Jaime called us in to watch the Saturday night movie, we had a full name for him. We went indoors and Billee shifted up to make room for us on the sofa. It was quite a cosy scene.

"So" Legolas asked, just before the movie started. "You and Boromir come up with a name for the little one yet?"

"We have actually," Boromir said with a smile. "Just now"

"Well come on" Frodo encouraged. "Let's hear it"

"Kane Aran South" I said with a smile. "What do you think?" 

"Aran was my fathers name" Damon said softly. "Thank you guys. This means a lot"

"That's how Emma thought of it" Boromir said quietly. "Good name, don't you think?"

"Definitely" Billee said with a nod and the others agreed. I was glad that they were acting normally. I knew that they were all worried about me, but the fact that they didn't make a big deal about my decision meant a lot. 

I didn't really pay much attention to 'Toy Story 2'. Most of us older one's didn't. About half way through the film, Colan climbed onto Benny's lap and sat there with his thumb in his mouth. Benny glanced at Billee, obviously not wanting him to feel offended. However, Billee just smiled, reassuring him that it was all right. Wendy soon followed suit and sat on Damon. The pair of them sat silently watching the film and by the end, they were asleep. Billee took charge and put them both to bed. Then we settled down to watch 'The Gift'. We all laughed at the main character, except Damon who didn't know who she was. It was a good night and it was just what I needed. Of course something had to happen to spoil that. It always does…

Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the front door. Jaime gave Ria to Frodo and hurried to open it, before the little ones were woken up. Damon, Benny, Billee and Legolas followed her. 

"All right, where is she?" A voice bellowed. My father's voice. I shivered and buried my head against Boromir's chest, suddenly feeling afraid…

(Damon's POV)

When Jaime opened the door and Mr Silverblade started shouting, I was overcome with the urge to hit him. But I realised that doing that wouldn't help matters.

"What do you want?" Billee snarled. "You aren't wanted around here"

"I want my daughter," he said simply. "And I'm not leaving until I get her"

"Well you have a long wait then" Benny spat. However, Mr Silverblade's next words stopped us both in our tracks.

"Benny Hockey and Damon Darkshield" he said with a smirk. "I happen to have some very interesting information on your…criminal activities, so to speak. If you don't give me my daughter now, I'll make sure that the 'proof' I've collected is given to people very high in power. There'll be no escape for you then"

Jaime looked at us, her eyes wide. I suddenly remembered that she didn't know that we were involved in illegal dealings. But that was the last thing on my mind. 

"Listen" I said, as calmly as I could. "It's late and we are all tired. Can't we meet tomorrow and discuss this logically?"

"I'll be waiting in the tavern," he said with a scowl. "But don't you dare think that I'm going to be talked out of this"

He walked away and Jaime shut the door. She turned and glared at me. I knew that she was more likely to blow up at me than Benny, so I mentally prepared myself…


	49. Blowing up and negotiation (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nadda but our own characters  
  
Summary: Stuff it. We dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
I closed the door and turned slowly toward Damon and Benny. I glared at them. I lifted my hand silently and pointed to the study, just off the hall. They knew what that meant. Get in there, and don't argue.  
  
"So." I said, in a quiet dangerous voice. By now, they knew that if I used this voice, I was not to be taken for granted. "So. I have been letting two criminals stay in my house. Would you guys care to explain?"  
  
They remained silent for a minute. Then Benny spoke up.  
  
"We're not exactly criminals, Jamie. We Just…got caught up in it, without meaning to."  
  
"How the hell and I suppose to believe that?"  
  
"It's the truth Jamie. We didn't mean to sell drugs. We were forced into it. Peer Pressure, you know."  
  
"By whom?"  
  
"Some guys in Silverwood."  
  
"You know, if you had told me that you were forced into drug dealings, I would have said something. It's not any better you hid it from us."  
  
"Are you going to kick us out?"  
  
"Well, I have never seen any crap that comes from drugs, like pill packets and empty syringes, so I have no hard evidence that are taking drugs as well as dealing them. You don't use them, do you?"  
  
"No way. Drugs are for Losers." Benny said. I knew I could trust his answer. But Damon I didn't know. I raised my eyebrows.  
  
"Damon?" Damon shook his head.  
  
"Drugs are for pitiful wimps. The only drugs I take are Panadol."  
  
I nodded. Then they began to explain all the other sorts of criminal activity that they had supposedly had something to do with.  
  
I didn't hate them, I was just really upset they hadn't told me. I would have saved myself a lot of hot air, I think.  
  
After the two guys were done explaining themselves, we went back to catch the remainder of the movie. I didn't pay much attention. I was thinking about what Mr. Silverblade was going to do at the Inn.  
  
  
  
The next day, Billee, Legolas, Damon, Benny and I all went to the tavern.  
  
It wasn't a very long walk. It was about five hundred meters from Bag End to the front door of Easy Traveler. I went in first and the boys came in after me, flouncing me like body-guards.  
  
I glanced around the pretty crowded tavern and spotted Mr. Silverblade, sitting in a corner. I narrowed my eyes and we made our way over there. When we got there, Mr. Silverblade sneered at us. Sitting on either side of him was my mother and my father. If that surprised or shocked me, I didn't show it. To me, they were not my relatives. They had made my life a living hell from the very start. By killing off my brother, my baby sister and my adopted brother, and scaring away the twins. Leaving only Julia, Jake and me to get beaten everyday. To be bruised black and blue. I hated them for it. I sat down and the others followed suit. It was time for a negotiation. 


	50. An Unreasonable Deal (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nadda but our own characters  
  
Summary: Stuff it. We dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

(Damon's POV)

It was pretty humiliating, having to stand there and explain to Jaime the sort of stuff we had done. Well, the stuff that came to mind anyway. Drug dealing, tampering with people's personal files, petty theft, gang fights…the list went on. Benny said afterwards that it reminded him of being back at school. But there were two things we didn't tell Jaime about. One was the club under The Silver Stallion. We help Bernard run it after hours. It's basically a club for criminals and more or less anything goes there. People generally go there for drugs or companionship, so to speak. I'm the bouncer and Benny serves behind the bar, but occasionally we do other things too. We didn't tell Jaime, not because we wanted to keep it from her, but because it wasn't our business. If word got out that we had told anyone, Benny and I would both be in very deep water. 

After firing us with a lot of questions, all of which we answered honestly, Jaime finally forgave us and we went back to watch the rest of the movie. I wasn't mad at Jaime for questioning us like she did. She was only concerned for Ria's safety, but as I told her, I wouldn't stay there if I thought that any harm would come to any of the little ones. Except from Mr. Silverblade maybe, but it wasn't us he wanted, it was Emma. And while I was still around, he was never going to get her. 

When we reached the Easy Traveler, the next morning, we saw that Mr. Silverblade was not alone. He had Jamie's mother and father with him. Too scared to face us on his own, most likely. He sneered at us, but didn't say a word until we had all sat down. I sat in the middle, Jaime and Benny one side and Billee and Legolas on the other. I glared at Emma's father. 

"Well then" he said with a smirk. "I see you came. Although really it was just you and Benny I wanted to see"

"They will be quiet," I said, giving Jaime a warning glance. "Now talk"

"I have papers and witnesses that prove that you and Benny Hockey are involved in illegal activities, including drug dealing and theft" he said with a cold smile. "One of those witnesses is Benny's ex-fiancée, who had some very interesting things to tell me about him"

"Lies" Benny spat. "That lying little bitch. You have no idea what she put me through…"

"Benny" I put a hand on his arm. "Don't let him provoke you. It isn't worth it" 

"But" Mr. Silverblade continued, as if Benny hadn't said anything. "Since the Darkshield family were very good friends of ours, I'd be willing to keep my mouth shut if you just give me Emma"

"Not an option" I said immediately. "I'd sooner rot in jail. There must be something else you want"

"Well" he thought for a minute and nodded. "I'm not sure about Jaime's parents here, although they helped me get the information I needed, I'm not sure what they want from this, but if you are willing to give me cash, I'll not only keep my mouth shut, but I'll go away and never bother my daughter again"

"You promise?" Benny asked. He nodded.

"Alright" I agreed. "How much?"

"Ten thousand" he said immediately. "Between the three of us. By this time next week"

Next to me, I heard Jaime gasp. Billee lowered his head in defeat. I could see what they were thinking. Ten thousand was an impossible amount to raise, especially in a week. There seemed to be no way we could do it. Jaime couldn't help; her and Frodo needed every penny they had. Billee had no money, nor did Emma. Legolas and Boromir both had parents who were reasonably well off, but we couldn't expect too much from them. Likewise, I knew that Elrond would help, but even he didn't have that much to just throw away. It seemed impossible. 

"We can't…" I started to say, but Benny interrupted me. 

"We'll do it," he agreed. "We'll get you your money, but if we see you around here after that, Damon will get his dog to rip your throat out"

"You get me the money for this time next week" Emma's father said roughly. "And I'll go over the sea and join my wife. Then my whore of a daughter can just get on with her life"

"Hey" Billee said angrily. "You can bloody talk after what you did to her"

"You keep your nose out of it" Mr Silverblade snarled. "We're finished here for now. We'll be here at the same time next week and I'll be expecting either my daughter or my money"

Without another word, he stood up and walked out. Jaime's mother followed him, but Jaime's father hung back. 

"After this" he warned. "You may see the last of that idiot, but you won't get rid of us so easily. I can promise you that" Then he turned and walked out too, leaving the five of us alone. 

"So" Jaime said slowly. "Exactly where are you planning to get ten thousand from?"

"I could try and get some of my father" Legolas offered. "He liked Emma and if I told him that she was in trouble, he'd be happy to help. Wouldn't be more than a couple of thousand though. If that"

We went back to Jaime's and gave the others the bad news. Elrond immediately offered us two thousand, which was good of him considering that he had two extra mouths to feed. Legolas, after speaking to his father, said that he could put forward another two thousand and Boromir spent an afternoon on the phone to his father, trying to persuade him to send some money without actually mentioning that it was for Emma. I knew for a fact that half of Gondor thought that she was crazy and that Mr South wouldn't help her out, even for Boromir's sake. In the end, Boromir told him that it was for Jaime, because she was putting him up. His father agreed to send a thousand, which meant that it was up to Benny and me to find the last five thousand. 

Emma kept protesting, telling us all that we shouldn't be doing this for her, but we wouldn't hear of it. From my experience, good friends are hard to find, so when you find some you help them out.

"So" I said to Benny that night, as we were getting ready for bed. "How the hell are we supposed to find five thousand in a week? We don't earn that much between us in six months"

"Damon" Benny said with a sigh. "We both know that there is a way. Leave it to me, okay? When I figure something out, I'll let you know"

I nodded and shut my eyes. But I couldn't sleep. I knew what Benny was planning and I didn't want him to do it, but I knew that I couldn't stop him. No one knows how Marcus died, save me and Benny. Not even Billee knows the truth, but I wasn't about to lose Benny to the same thing. 


	51. Singing and Generosity (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nadda but our own characters  
  
Summary: Stuff it. We dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
I felt really angry at my parents and Mr. Silverblade for being such idiots. We had five thousand. Where were we going to get another five thousand from? It was just so hard to imagine. That's when I had my brilliant idea. I ran upstairs to Emma and Boromir's room, and found Emma lying on her bed, crying.  
  
"Emma. I just had a brilliant beyond brilliant idea!" I said, excitedly.  
  
She looked up with a tear stained face. "What?"  
  
"We'll have a singing competition! Like the school Mock Rock!"  
  
Emma began to smile, her face looked positively happy.  
  
  
  
We gathered everyone in the living room and explained my idea. Benny and Damon thought it was an excellent idea. We called all our friends. Including Glorifindel and his girlfriend Amanda. I knew Amanda loved to sing and they said they would be there in a matter of days.  
  
We called all the teachers and they all said they would come and donate money. We said it was for a good cause. I can't remember what we said the cause was. Something clever, of course.  
  
We set the date of the Singing Comp the Saturday before the deadline. We told everyone who we rang, to ring their friends and bring them with them.  
  
The days went by slowly, there were kids in town who were practicing for it.  
  
Various teachers showed up for it. The admission for it was ten dollars for adults and five dollars for children in their tweens, or under fifteen for humans and elfling children. The day finally came and the whole field was crowded. The stage that was in the very middle of the field, had a circle around it, only one meter from the base. That's how crowded it was.  
  
We had all the young kids first. Colan, Wendy and few of their friends got up on the stage and did very well for a bunch of six year olds. They did that song 'You've got a Friend in me' from Toy Story. Everyone laughed because it was so cute. Colan was dressed up as Woody, Wendy as Jessie, two of their friends, Hamish and Jack played the back and front of Bullseye, Gina's daughter, Dawn was Bo Peep and Her older brother, Max played Buzz. They all looked so cute together. Frodo and I were laughing so much.  
  
The night went by at a reasonable pace. Glorifindel and Amanda got up on stage and did the song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Brad and Janet. Then I looked at Emma and Frodo and Boromir and we all nodded. We got up on stage and the opening bars of 'Never Let Me Down' by Sophie Ellis Bextor. Emma and I sang to the guys and they acted out.  
  
I think that got the most cheers for adult acts. Our group weren't being judged because we had organised the whole thing. At the end of the evening, the winners were announced, The little kids section was Colan and Wendy's group. The older children, were a group made of Sam's three younger siblings, Merry's little sister and Pippin's younger brother. They had done the song, Devil went down to Georgia by the Charlie Daniel's Band. The fourth group was Glorifindel and Amanda. They had been very good, because they had done it in Kareoke. The final group, was, believe it or not, was Randy and three of his friends. Gimli was not among them. I thank Valor for that.  
  
The prizes were a free family sized pizza from Stignotti's Pizza Place.  
  
  
  
Afterwards, Benny, Damon, Me, Emma, Boromir, Frodo, Legolas, and Billee, counted all the money. $4,950. We were still fifty short. We were all pondering how to get the last fifty dollars, when Colan, rubbing his eye sleepily came in. Billee got up to see what he wanted.  
  
"Colan, what are you doing up? It's late and you should be in sleepy-bye land."  
  
I smiled at that. I had made that up for the little guy. Colan was standing there in his 'Wiggles' pajamas and holding my old teddy, Benson.  
  
I saw him reach inside the chest pocket and pulled out a fifty dollar note.  
  
I think nearly everyone in the room gasped.  
  
I got up and kneeled down next to him. "Colan, where did you get this?"  
  
"I found it." He said. "I heard you say you needed money and when I found this, I thought you would like it."  
  
I smiled. The little kid had his brothers generosity.  
  
"Thank you Colan. You are a very kind little boy. And I think such generosity deserves a prize, what do you think guys?"  
  
Everyone nodded. I looked back at the little elf. "What do you want as a prize, Colan?"  
  
Colan thought for a minute. "I wanna learn to read." He said finally and I laughed. Colan grinned. Billee chuckled.  
  
"Colan, you can have anything you want." He said gently to his younger brother.  
  
"Umm…I want cousin Ria and Cousin Kane to be good. And play with me all the time. And I wanna stay here wif Wendy for a while."  
  
I think the kid's answer was a shock to all of us. He didn't want much for himself. That was the really cute thing. Billee smiled and said, "We'll stay in Hobbiton for as long as you want, Colan."  
  
We now had the ten thousand dollars, so everyone slept easy that night.  
  
Now was the confrontation. And thinking about how to get rid of my parents. 


	52. Benny's Decision (Emma)

 Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nadda but our own characters  
  
Summary: Stuff it. We dunno.   
  
**************************************************************************** **********

(Billee's POV)

The next morning, me, Jaime, Legolas, Damon and Benny all went to meet Mr Silverblade at the tavern. Damon had the ten thousand firmly in his pocket and I was really relived. Once the money was handed over, Emma could just get on with her life. I only hoped that he wouldn't make things any more difficult.

We went in and found that the three of them were already there, waiting for us, in a corner near the door. We went over and sat down. Damon took the money from his pocket and showed it to them.

"Here's your money" he said, slowly and carefully. "Take it and get yourself as far away from here as possible"

Mr Silverblade took the money and sat back smirking to himself. "Oh yes, I'll go" he said finally. "But there is one more thing I want first"

"Hey, that isn't fair" I spat. "You said just the ten thousand and you'd go away from here"

"And I will" Emma's father agreed. "As soon as I have the other thing I want"

"What is that?" Damon asked, his voice trembling in anger. I knew that he and Jamie were fighting to keep from hitting him. "Anything, as long as you leave her alone"

"It's not that much of a big deal" he replied with a shrug. "But we know what Benny Hockey did for a living before bar work and the three of us wish to…try his services out for nothing so to speak"

Jaime and Legolas looked gobsmacked. I must have done too. It didn't take someone of major intelligent to work out what he was getting at. Benny was looking down at the table, his face pale. Damon glanced at us. 

"You three go" he said firmly. "Wait outside. I'll be out in a minute"

There were a lot of questions we wanted to ask, but we knew that now was not the time. So the three of us stood up, glaring at Emma's father as we did, and went outside into the bright sunlight. We stood there looking at each other, not quite sure what to say.

(Damon's POV) 

When the others had gone, I got up and pulled Benny to his feet. 

"Five minutes" I said to Emma's father. "We have to talk about this"

We wandered over to a quiet area, where I knew they could see us but not hear us. Then I folded my arms and looked at Benny. 

"You aren't going to do it, are you?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "He's a raving lunatic. You don't know what he might do to you"

"I'll be alright Damon" Benny said quietly. "It seems to be the only way. Besides, I can take care of myself. Don't worry, just go home and act normal for the others, okay? Don't tell them anything unless you have to. I'll be back as soon as I can"

"Benny…" I started. He shook his head. 

"Please don't try and talk me out of it" he whispered. "I've made up my mind. Just go Damon. I'll catch you later"

I had no choice. I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, then turned away and walked out of the tavern. I knew the others were dying to ask what was going on, but I just shook my head, telling them not to ask. I was too worried to speak. Benny was my best friend and I didn't know what I would do if I lost him. Still I figured that if Benny came through this in one piece, Emma's father could make no more demands on us. There were still Jaime's parents to worry about however. I couldn't help wondering what part they had to play in this. 


	53. Bilbo, Talks, Thumb Wars and Ditz's (Jam...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nadda but our own characters  
  
Summary: Stuff it. We dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
I was seething with anger when Mr. Silverblade said he wanted one more thing. But when he said it was something to do with Benny's previous job, I was startled. But Billee, Legolas and Me got up and walked out obediently. Once we got outside, Billee exploded.  
  
"That mongrel!" He said. "That dirty, rotten, lying, mongrel!"  
  
"Billee, settle down. I'm sure Benny will tell us what happened when he comes out." I said, trying hard from punching my other hand. We sat out there for five minutes before Damon came out. His face was sullen.  
  
"Damon, what's going on?" I asked. Damon didn't answer. He just shook his head. Billee and Legolas tried. But he still wouldn't budge.  
  
"It's up to Benny whether he wants to tell you or not." Was all he said. And we were in for another wait. Billee and I were so bored we began a game of thumb war.  
  
"1…2…3…4…I declare a thumb war." I said.  
  
"5…6…7…8…Try to keep your thumb straight." Billee said and we began a half- hearted attempt to knock each down. Legolas watched in amusement. He had been twirling his long blonde hair around his finger, in a bored sort of way.  
  
"Legolas, you know if you do that, you look like a complete ditz?" I asked.  
  
"Hey, you, That's my ditz you're talking too!" Billee said, grinning. Legolas grinned and pretended to sniff.  
  
"Well at least someone here loves me!" He said, faking a sob. That sent me into gales of laughter. The present problem seemed forgotten.  
  
Benny came out then, looking pale in the face and not in the least bit, happy.  
  
"Benny, tell me what happened." I said instantly. Benny shook his head and chewed his bottom lip. I frowned. From what I remembered about Benny, he only chewed his lip when he was afraid, and you didn't often see Benny afraid. I knew it was something big. But if Benny didn't want to tell us now, maybe later. So we began to walk home.  
  
Billee and Legolas were whispering about something, and Damon and Benny were talking quietly. I couldn't hear what they were saying. I had no one to talk to. I sort of, hung back when we reached the front door to Bag End. We were about to open it, when it was opened from the inside, by none other than Bilbo. Dear old Bilbo.  
  
"Bilbo!" I said, in a way, he was like my uncle now, he used to be my drama teacher. I hugged him tight.  
  
"Jamie! You're home! And you have a lot to tell me about, don't you?"  
  
"Yes, when did you arrive?"  
  
"About an hour ago. Frodo said that you had left to go to town, for some thing."  
  
I smiled. The guys had left us in the hall, and had gone into the kitchen. Then all of a sudden, I began to cry. Bilbo, being the gentle hobbit, he was, took my hand and led me out to the low branch. He sat on it and let me cry into his shoulder. He rocked me and spoke to me like I was a baby.  
  
"Do you want to talk?" He finally said. I nodded.  
  
"Yeah, Bilbo, it might help." So I told him of all the things that had happened since the end of high school. Bilbo hadn't been able to make it to the wedding because he had been traveling in the wrong direction. I told him about my baby girl, about Emma, about everything. How Emma was pregnant, and she somehow knew it was a boy. All that, then I told Bilbo about Mr. Silverblade and my parent joining forces and making us pay ten thousand dollars for Emma. When I told him, Bilbo was really shocked.  
  
"That criminal." He said, quietly.  
  
After we had finished talking, Bilbo went inside to play with Colan and Wendy and little Ria. I went over to the Gardeners Quarters and knocked.  
  
The door was opened by Benny. He was alone. I walked in, uninvited and sat in a chair.  
  
"Benny. You are going to have to tell me what this big secret is. After the criminal incident, I don't want any secrets between you and me." I said, carefully.  
  
Benny nodded. "Yeah, I know, but-"  
  
"No buts Benny. Spill the beans." 


	54. Poor Benny (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nadda but our own characters  
  
Summary: Stuff it. We dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

(Benny's POV)

"Jaime…I don't want to keep any secrets from you" I said slowly, keeping my eyes lowered to the ground. "But I don't want to talk about this. I'm sorry…but I just don't"

"Why not?"

"Because, I just want to forget about it," I whispered. "You don't want to know what I had to do for them and you don't have to know. None of you do. It's just between me and Damon"

"Okay" Jaime sounded rather hurt. I hadn't meant to upset her; I just couldn't talk to her about this. I was too ashamed to even think about it, let alone talk about it. "But if you do need to talk, Benny…"

"I know" I managed a very weak smile. "Thank you"

The door opened and Damon came in. He hesitated when he saw Jaime.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Jaime was just leaving," I muttered. Jaime took the hint and left the room. Damon came and sat on the bed next to me.

"How you feeling?" he asked. "Have they finished with us yet?"

"You lot yeah," I told him. "Emma's okay now, Mr Silverblade is leaving first thing in the morning. But…but I have to go see them again tonight. This morning wasn't enough for them"

"Jaime been asking you questions?"

"Yeah" I stood up and began to pace up and down the room. "I hate keeping things from her, especially when she has been so good to us. Damon…they have no use for Emma anymore but they…they've been threatening me"

"What do you mean, Benny?" Damon's voice was hard and cold. "What have they said?"

"It's Jaime's parents mostly" I muttered. "They said that if I don't do exactly what they say…they'll send someone to hurt…hurt my daughter. That's why I have to go tonight, even if I don't want to. I think…I think they have contacts in the criminal business and I'm afraid. Who knows what they are capable of"?

(Damon's POV)

I could see his problem. Benny hasn't seen his daughter for two years, but I knew that he would kill himself if it would prevent any harm coming to her. I slipped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him against me.

"It will be okay," I whispered. "We have contacts in the criminal world too. Don't worry"

"Damon" he whispered. "Don't tell the others were I'm going tonight. Not a word. Promise me"

"I promise," I swore. "I won't let a word pass my lips"

Benny slipped out while the rest of them were going to bed. Since he hadn't made much of an appearance since we got back, no one noticed that he was missing. Or if they did, they didn't say anything. 

While everyone else slept, I sat up waiting for Benny to come home. I knew that I couldn't have slept, even if I had wanted to. I was too worried about Benny. From what I knew of Emma's father and Jaime's parents, I didn't feel safe leaving Benny in their hands.

Finally, in the early hours of the morning, there was a quiet knock at the door. When I opened it, I had the shock of my life. Benny was standing there, only it didn't seem like him. His face was even paler than usual and he had a bruise beginning to develop on his jaw. His eyes were what freaked me out though. They were all vague and scary. Like he wasn't there. His breathing was coming in low shallow gasps and his clothing was disarranged. I realised instantly what had happened.

"Benny, come and sit down" I insisted. Benny allowed me to put my arm around him and guide him to the kitchen. I just managed to get him to the sink before he threw up. Then he slumped in a chair and put his head in his hands.

"Dirty bastards tricked me" he muttered. "Damon, my head feels heavy and my chest feels weird"

I acted as quickly as I could. Firstly I got him a glass of water and helped him to drink it. Then I ordered him to take off his shirt, which he did with my help. He had bruises right across his chest, just as I had suspected. 

"I think the best place for you, Benny-boy" I told him gently. "Is bed"

"I don't remember what happened, Damon" Benny whispered. "They gave me a drink and I went all strange after that"

"I think you have been drugged, Benny" I told him honestly. "Looks like you've taken quite a beating too" 

"I ache all over" He got to his feet with my help and I helped him towards our room. "Even in places I shouldn't"

"They won't get away with this" I promised, as I helped him get into bed, then crawled in, fully clothed beside him. "Not if I have anything to do with it"

Benny gave me a tiny smile and rested his head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around him and we fell asleep like that. Just two friends together.


	55. Dr Elliot helps out (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is IT Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nothing, and I just realized where I got the name Dr. Elliot from. It's from an old Aussie show call 'A Country Practice' so I don't own Dr. Elliot either.  
  
Summary: Hell, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
I went to bed early that night, I was rather tired after our little confrontation with Mr. Silverblade and my parents. The next morning, when I woke up, it was still rather early, but Frodo was up and he was rocking Ria to sleep again. He looked up when I sat up.  
  
"Hey." I said.  
  
"Morning." He said with a small smile. "You looked really peaceful so I decided to look after Ria."  
  
I smiled. "Very generous."  
  
Frodo put a sleeping Ria down and we linked arms and walked downstairs. Emma and Boromir were laughing at the jokes and comics section of the morning paper. Elrond was reading the business section and Billee and Legolas were having a thumb war. I think Billee was winning. Bilbo was cooking his famous bacon and eggs for breakfast. He turned when we entered and smiled.  
  
"Well good morning to both of you. Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Yes thanks Bilbo. Morning everyone."  
  
"Morning." Everyone said at different intervals.  
  
Damon entered then and rummaged around until he found the first aide kit. He looked at me. Then he took my elbow.  
  
"Jamie. Can you come with me for a few minutes?"  
  
"Sure, Damon." I said, confused and followed him to the gardeners quarters, my dressing gown flapping in an early morning breeze.  
  
We went inside and a gasped in horror. Benny lay there, covered in bruises, head to foot, and from what I could tell, a fair few broken ribs.  
  
"Holy shit…" I said quietly. I turned to Damon. "What happened?" I asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
Damon must have seen the look in my eyes because he nodded very slightly. I bristled up like an angry hen.  
  
"Those bloody bastards…" I whispered. But then I remembered Benny and went to work. While I was cleaning all the cuts and bruises he had, he woke up.  
  
"Jamie?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, Benny-boy, it's me. Don't worry, the flea-bitten bastards are going to pay big-time."  
  
"Don't tell anyone, will you?"  
  
"Benny, I will have to tell them. Well at least something. I try and make up something."  
  
"Thanks Jamie-girl."  
  
"Benny, don't mention it."  
  
"Okay." I finished cleaning and strapping him up and told him to stay there, while I rang Dr. Elliot. He looked worried.  
  
"Don't worry, Benny, I'll say you got into a drunken brawl."  
  
He looked relieved.  
  
I went in and rang Dr. Elliot. I could see everyone looking at me strangely.  
  
"Hello, Dr. Elliot? It's Jamita Baggins. Yeah…uh huh…okay. Yeah, can you come over? Yeah. My friend. …Yep. Thanks Dr. Elliot."  
  
I hung up. Emma was by my side.  
  
"What's wrong, Jamie?"  
  
"Oh Benny went out last night and got himself into a drunken brawl."  
  
"Oh my god."  
  
"That's what I thought. Dr. Elliot is coming now."  
  
  
  
Twenty minutes later, Dr. Elliot was checking over Benny and giving him a shot to soothe the pain.  
  
"Well, Benny, looks like you got yourself into quite a fight. And if I'm not mistaken, you were drugged."  
  
"Drugged?"  
  
"Yes. Maybe someone put it in a glass meant for someone else and you accidentally drank it. But we may never know."  
  
"When will I be all right again?"  
  
"It's hard to say. Those broken ribs will take about three or four weeks to heal. I'd say you'll be okay in about a month and a half."  
  
"Thanks Doc. You're a life saver."  
  
"Well, that's my job." He laughed at the joke. "Now you get some rest and I'll come by tomorrow to see how you're doing, okay?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
I stood by the door watching Dr. Elliot treat my friend. I was so going to beat the hell out of my parents, excuse me, the dog shit that called themselves my parents, for what they did to him. They'd better just watch out. 


	56. Good News (Emma)

Life After High School. Is it Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nothing

Summary: Hell, I dunno.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****

(Damon's POV)

When the doctor left, Benny went rather quiet. I asked Jaime to go, saying that he needed sleep. When she had gone, he gave a sigh and looked at me. 

"What are we going to do, Damon?" he asked quietly. "If I can't work, we're going to have no money. I'm suppose to send money up to Lana for my daughter and…"

"Benny, chill out" I told him. "We'll work something out, I promise. Just don't worry. Concentrate on getting better"

"Yeah, I guess" Benny gave me a very weak smile. "What would I do without you, Damon?"

"I don't know," I said with a shrug. "But don't ever do that to me again. Next time, I'm coming with you"

"There won't be a next time," he promised. "You don't think I enjoy doing this, do you?"

"No" I said softly. "Of course I don't. I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"I know" he reached up and squeezed my hand. "Thanks"

"No problem" Affectionately, I brushed a strand of hair from his face and smiled at him. "Go to sleep now. I have to make a few phone calls"

He settled back and shut his eyes. Sol-leks jumped onto the bed and stretched out next to him. I smiled at the sight, they looked so peaceful. Sol-leks still can't come into the house, he's too dangerous to be around the younger children, so he has to stay in our room or in the garden. But I knew that Benny would feel safe with Sol-leks around.

Most of the others were outside or in the kitchen. I asked Jaime if I could use the phone and she nodded. 

"What are you going to do?" she asked. I smiled.

"Something I should have done a long time ago" I told her. "Trust me, Jamie"

Emma and Boromir were the only two in the living room when I went in. They were lying on the sofa together, fast asleep. It was a sweet sight. Whether I liked it or not, those two really were made for each other. I knew that things wouldn't be easy, Boromir's father is very well known in Gondor and I knew that he would do everything in his power to stop them marrying, but I felt that whatever happened, they would somehow get through it. It's that blasted true love thing.

Being as quiet as I could so as not to disturb them, I picked up the phone and dialled the number of the nearest port. I gave them a complete description of Mr. Silverblade and was reassured that he had boarded a ship that morning. At least he had kept to his side of the bargain. I wasn't sure if he would be back, but for the time being, we wouldn't have to worry about him. I needed to tell the others the good news, but first I had one more call to make. I took a deep breath and dialled another number. Someone picked up the phone and grunted.

"Damon Darkshield here" I said clearly. "I wish to speak to Lucas, please"

Lucas is a friend of Bernard's, the guy who runs the Silver Stallion. He has a group of thieves who reside in Gondor. Both Benny and I had done work for them and I knew that Lucas was very fond of us. I just hoped that he was in the mood to help us out. 

There was another grunt and I could hear muffled talking in the background. Finally, Lucas picked up the phone.

"Damon!" he said happily. "How are you kid? Bernard told me that you and Benny just upped and left a few weeks back and now you are living with the little folk"

"Hobbits" I corrected him, with a laugh. "And yeah, we are. We just wanted a change, that's all. Hope we didn't worry you"

"No of course not" He reassured me. "And how are you doing for money and everything? You got somewhere to live?"

"Actually, that was kind of why I called you" I said quietly. With encouragement from Lucas, I explained the whole situation, leaving nothing out. 

"You see" I finished. "Benny won't be able to work for about six weeks and he's worrying about money. Plus we have those two freaks that call themselves Jamie's parents still to worry about. I was wondering if you could let us have some money to tie us over?"

"Tell you what" Lucas said with a sigh. "I'll send two thousand down for the pair of you. But when Benny gets better, I may need you to do a bit of work for me. That sound fair?"

"Great. Thanks Lucas"

"No problem. As for those two people you told me about, well I could sort the pair of them out too. But what do you want me to do with them? Hold 'em prisoner or something, or more?"

"It's down to Jaime," I told him. "I'll see what she wants to do, then call you back tomorrow"

"That will be fine. Take care kid"

I hung up the phone and gave a sigh of relief. It seemed like I had good news for everyone. Mr Silverblade had gone, at least for now. We had people who were willing to help us with Jaime's parents and Benny and me didn't have to worry about money for the next few weeks. Things were certainly beginning to look up. 


	57. Jokes and Plans (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: What do we want? LOTR! When do we want it? NOW!  
  
Summary: Hell, I thought you would have figured it out by now.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
I was sitting at the table, feeding a two week old Ria, Damon came in and asked to use the phone.  
  
"Sure, go for your life." I said. He smiled and went into the lounge.  
  
A little while later, he came back out and had a sort of half smile on his face. I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What's the half-smile about, Damo?"  
  
"Oh I just rang a friend and he said he's help us."  
  
"Let me guess, in the thieving business too, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, sorry."  
  
"Damon, I don't really like thieves, but I guess I can trust you. What did you want to call your friend for?"  
  
So Damon explained about Benny and his wife, excuse me, ex-wife, and his daughter, how he had to send money, and because he couldn't work, he couldn't send money. I listened intently. When Damon came to the part of him asking his friend, Lucas, if he could 'take care' of my so-called parents, I began to smile.  
  
"Damon, that's given me a great idea." I said.  
  
"Really? What?"  
  
"Your friend Lucas and his band of thieves, they can get my parents, capture them, if they want to, keep them for a while, they can pretend to hold them hostage and ring up here, pretend to say, 'I have two hostages' or something and make us come down, then, we come down and my parents think they gonna get free, but we just talk to Lucas and decide what to do with them from there-on. What do you say?"  
  
Damon thought this over for a bit, he began to smile.  
  
"I think," He said. "It's a fantastic idea. Your parents won't know what hit them."  
  
I grinned and we spent most of the day working out how this would happen and how that would happen.  
  
"My parents aren't to bright. I dunno why. Will Lucas mind doing any of this?"  
  
"He's kinda fond of Benny and me, we just have to do some work for him when Benny gets better."  
  
"Fair deal." I said, approvingly. Damon laughed.  
  
Emma and Boromir came in from sleeping on the couch, they smiled at us.  
  
"What are you guys doing?" Asked Emma, looking curious.  
  
"Thinking of ways to get rid of my parents, once and for all." I said and everyone laughed. I put on the most innocent face I could muster and said, "Whaaaaaaat?" Everyone laughed again.  
  
Emma said the line that she had used when we had first met in eighth grade, we had been discussing jobs we wanted to have or what we wanted to be.  
  
"What do want to be, Jamie?"  
  
"Well, I wanted to be a Stand Up Comedian but I was afraid everyone would laugh at me."  
  
That got everyone cracking up. Maybe I should have been a stand up comedian after all. 


	58. Putting our plan into action (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: What do we want? LOTR! When do we want it? NOW!  
  
Summary: Hell, I thought you would have figured it out by now.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****

(Damon's POV)

After Jaime and I had agreed on what we wanted to do, I told Benny about our idea. He thought that it was a good idea too, but he warned me to be careful. I knew what he was getting at. Lucas and his gang weren't the only thieves around and we didn't know whom Jaime's parents, or indeed Mr Silverblade, might have had on their side. We didn't want to cross any rival groups. Last time I did, I ended up in a worse state than Benny was now. I just had to verify the plan with Lucas.

The next morning I called him and asked him what he thought. He agreed with our plan and said that he would send two of his best men to look for them that very day. He told me that he would contact me when he had them safely locked up in Gondor. He said that it would probably be in a few days time.

"But I'll warn you Damon" he said, just before I hung up. "If you're going to bring any friends of yours near our hideout…well make sure they're trustworthy, okay? Because you know what will happen to them if word gets out about where we are hiding"

He didn't have to tell me. I knew. People who betray Lucas and his group get hunted down and killed. That's the way it is with any thieving group. Honour amongst thieves and all that. 

I thanked him and hung up. Then all of us gathered around the kitchen table and I told them what Lucas had said. Our plan was in action and Jaime's parents were going to pay. We were all glad of that. The remaining question was who was going to go? Emma couldn't go, not that she would want to anyway, because she wasn't allowed to ride. Boromir wanted to stay with Emma, and anyway, I didn't trust him. Finally I agreed that Billee and Legolas could come, seeing as I've known Billee since he was a kid. I also told Jaime that if she wanted to come with us, then she was welcome to, seeing as though we were dealing with her parents. 

Five days later, there came the phone call we were waiting for. Lucas told me that he had her parents in his hideout, although they were currently both drugged to stop them causing trouble. As I hung the phone up and began to prepare for the three-day ride to Gondor, Benny came through the door dressed in his riding clothes.

"I'm coming with you," he announced to the shocked room. "No matter what you say" 

"Benny" I put my hand on his arm. "The doctor said…"

"Screw the doctor" he spat. "I'm coming with you, not matter what. You aren't going alone Damon"

I looked at him and he looked back. I knew what he was trying to say and I was grateful.

"Come on then" I said with a sigh. "Let's go, you idiot"

The five of us: me, Billee, Legolas, Benny and Jaime, mounted our horses and began to ride. Jaime's parents were going to pay big time. We were going to make sure of that. 


	59. Ideas in a Hideout (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: What do we want? LOTR! When do we want it? NOW!  
  
Summary: Hell, I thought you would have figured it out by now.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
We left that morning for the three day trip to Gondor. It actually took four and a half because Benny was a little sore. I didn't blame him. When we got to Gondor, Damon stopped. He turned to Billee, Legolas and me.  
  
"I'm sorry guys, really, I am. But so you won't betray Lucas' location, I have to blindfold you."  
  
I nodded in agreement. Billee and Legolas seemed to agree, but looked a little nervous. Damon put the heavy material around my head and tied it firmly, then, he took the reins of our horses, and led us all toward the hideout.  
  
Later, once we were all inside, the material was removed and I saw we were inside a dimly lit cavern of some sort.  
  
"So, Damon, Benny, you brought your most trustworthy friends, I hope."  
  
I turned to where the voice had come from. There was a guy sitting with his face in the shadows.  
  
Something about the stature of this man was very familiar.  
  
"Lucas Blanco?" I asked.  
  
The mans face can out of the shadows. He looked confused. Then he smiled slowly.  
  
"Jamita Olesse Shadow. I wondered when I'd see you again."  
  
"I had to come, they are my parents."  
  
Damon had a look of confusion written all over his face.  
  
"You two know eachother?"  
  
"Know eachother?" I said, with a chuckle. "Lucas was Mark's best bud in high school. And half way through primary. He taught Mark how to protect us, isn't that right, Lucas?"  
  
"Sure is." He said with a smile. "How is Mark by the way?"  
  
I felt a weight sink in my stomach, usually I try to avoid this conversation.  
  
"Lucas, Mark died a few years ago." Lucas looked shocked. Then sad.  
  
"How did he die?"  
  
I pointed to the window, where my father and mother were locked in their little room.  
  
"Dad. I won't even bother calling him that anymore."  
  
Lucas looked as angry as a lion. He growled a bit. He marched his way over to the door and opened it. Damon, Billee, Benny, Legolas and me all followed him. I came from behind all the tallest guys in time to see Lucas punch Galfo Shadow in the stomach.  
  
"You killed my best friend!" He screamed. My father's head jerked back from impact with Lucas' fist in the stomach and he groaned.  
  
I just watched on. I didn't really care about my parents anymore. To me, they weren't my family anymore. Frodo and Ria were.  
  
After Lucas had tortured my father a bit more, he took us to the 'mess' room, where we grabbed a cup of coffee. Lucas began to tell us about times when he and Mark used to get together and play tricks. They had been inseparable, like me and Emma. Mark had been what you might call a little stupid. His marks were average and he used to get into lots of trouble.  
  
Lucas and Benny laughed at a memory that they had of Mark getting caught by Gandalf, when trying to steal Mark's lifesavers from where Gandalf had hidden them after confiscating them.  
  
After a while, the laughter died down, Lucas grew thoughtful.  
  
"You know," He said. "I think we should hold a memorial service for our friend and brother, Mark. He was a good bloke and had lots of friends."  
  
I nodded in agreement. Benny thought it was a good idea too.  
  
"Who would we invite though?"  
  
"Anybody who knew Mark before he died, I guess."  
  
"What? You mean like class mates, teachers, friends, people in Midgewood, stuff like that?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
That was how the list of people to invite got started. 


	60. Memorial service plans (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: What do we want? LOTR! When do we want it? NOW!  
  
Summary: Hell, I thought you would have figured it out by now.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********

(Damon's POV)

We left Jaime, Billee and Legolas with Lucas, to make a list of invites, while Benny and I took a walk around the hideout. I gave the others a very strict warning not to go anywhere. Lucas is okay; well he is most of the time. But there were a lot of guys hanging around and not all of them were particularly nice.

"Hey, Damon, Benny" we turned round as someone came running up to us. Our old friend Blaze. He gave me a bone-crushing hug, then turned to Benny and looked at him carefully. "What happened to you?" he asked after a minute. "Something to do with those two prisoners of ours, was it?"

"Something like that. News travels fast eh?" Benny said with a laugh. "My ribs are killing me"

"I'm not surprised. I heard you took quite a beating" he leant back against the wall and smiled his easy-going smile. "I wanted to kill 'em when I heard"

"You're alright kid" Benny patted his shoulder affectionately. "So, what's the latest news?"

Before Blaze could answer, someone grabbed his shoulder roughly and pulled him away from us.  "Get back to work" A very familiar voice growled. Blaze looked at us apologetically and ran for it. Benny and I found us looking into the face of Kenny, Lucas's right hand man and an evil bastard to boot. 

"Well, I see you two runts have returned" he said with a cruel laugh. "Couldn't stay on the straight and narrow, I see"

"Piss off" Benny said angrily. "We are here on business with Lucas. That is all"

"You brought outsiders in" Kenny spat. "That makes you a traitor. Both of you. Maybe not to the boss, but to me and a lot of the other boys. You ain't welcome here"

"Well, we're staying until our business is completed" I said bravely. Kenny had tormented us a lot when we were younger, but I wasn't prepared to be pushed around any longer. "So you can just get stuffed and leave us alone"

"What happened to you?" Kenny commented, his eyes on Benny. "Your wife beat you up again, did she?"

"Shut up" Benny hissed through gritted teeth. "You don't know nothing"

"And you call yourself a man" Kenny jeered. "You wife beats the crap out of you and you just stand there and take it. What a loser. And then she turns around and walks out on you because she finds out…"

I'd heard enough. With a cry of anger, I threw myself at him and punched his hard in the nose. My punch must have knocked him off balance, because he fell over on his backside. And you know the crazy thing? I just stood there and laughed. The guy was going to kill me when he got up and all I could do was laugh. Then Benny started to laugh too and we both stood there laughing and pointing at Kenny on the floor. He scowled at us and tried to look menacing, but it just didn't work anymore. I couldn't be scared of him after that. Kenny got up and glared at us before turning and walking off. I looked at Benny and smiled.

"Thanks Damo" he said softly. "But you didn't have to do that. He's just a stupid jerk anyway"

"I know" I replied. "But no one insults my best friend and gets away with it. Come on, we had better get back"

(Billee's POV)

Jaime and Lucas were still deep in discussion about who to invite to Mark's memorial service when Damon and Benny came back. They seemed rather pleased with themselves. 

"What's up with you?" Lucas asked. "You look like the cat that's got the cream"

Next to me, Legolas began to laugh, which soon set me off too. That set Damon and Benny off again and soon all four of us were roaring with laughter, while Lucas and Jaime looked on, obviously puzzled.

"Ken started on Benny" Damon finally managed to blurt out. "I floored him with a punch" Then they both started laughing again. Lucas just sighed and shook his head. 

"What are we going to do with you two?" he muttered, then turned his attention back to Jaime. "So" he continued. "You've got all the people from Midgewood that you want to invite?"

"Yes" Jaime agreed. "I'll call Elrond later, he can deal with the teachers. Classmates?"

"I'll do it" Benny offered. "Although I don't know where most of them would be now. But I'll do my best"

"And I'll be there" Lucas said immediately. "I'll bring two of my men, Blaze and Forrest. They didn't know Mark well, but I know they've met him a few times"

"Great" Jaime agreed. "So where shall we have it?"

"I think" Legolas said slowly. "That it should be some place in the middle of Gondor and Hobbiton. Otherwise it's too far for a lot of people to ride"

"How bout Midgewood?" I suggested. "It's only two days ride from Hobbiton, so it wouldn't be too hard on Benny"

"Sounds good" Lucas agreed. "I can't leave this place for too long or the guys will end up half killing each other. But I could get to Midgewood and back in two days. Bear in mind though, that my boys and me can't be seen. Not by anyone. So I promise that we'll be there, but none of you will see us. We will be well hidden"

"Just as long as you're there" Jaime said with a smile. "So shall we say, two weeks from today?"

"Great" Lucas nodded. "Two weeks today, in Midgewood. I'll be there. And in the meantime, I think I'll hold your parents here. See how much torture they can live through"

"Be my guest" Damon said with a grin. "Give 'em a kick from me and Benny, okay?"

"Will do" Lucas smiled and handed Damon an evelope. "You guys had better get out of here before the boys come back. It was nice seeing you and I hope the plans go well"

"It was nice seeing you too Lucas" Damon slipped the envelope into his pocket and gave Lucas a hug. "Say hi to Forrest for us"

After the goodbyes had been said, Damon and Benny blindfolded us again and led us out of the hideout. I couldn't wait to get home. I was worried about how Emma was coping without us. I also knew how disappointed she was going to be, knowing that she couldn't be with Jaime at Marks memorial service and I felt guilty because I hadn't been spending much time with her recently.


	61. The Memorial (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: What do we want? LOTR! When do we want it? NOW!  
  
Summary: Hell, I thought you would have figured it out by now.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
As we rode home, I thought a lot about the Memorial Service dedicated to my big brother. I loved him so much. I knew, being his little sister, I had to speak at the podium, which I didn't mind doing. I had already got a rough idea on what I was going to say.  
  
When we got home, Frodo came rushing out to give me a hug.  
  
"How'd it go?" he asked.  
  
"All right. Lucas is going to hold them, see how long they can last. We also thought we would give a memorial service to Mark."  
  
I told Frodo the whole idea. He seemed to think it was an excellent idea. He had never known my brother, of course, but he was my husband, so he was coming.  
  
We walked in and found Emma and Boromir cuddled up on the couch, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns. Emma looked up and saw me, she got up and gave me a hug.  
  
"Hey." She said, smiling. "Glad to see you're still in one piece."  
  
"Yeah, I know Lucas. He's a good guy." I explained the Memorial Service idea to her. She thought it was a good idea, but then I told her she couldn't come, because it was two days ride. She saddened.  
  
"Emma, I didn't do it intentionally. You know that, but before you throw that pillow at me, listen. I can get Elrond to tell Gandalf to use that transporter magic that he knows, he can send you straight to Midgewood. You could meet us there. There is no violence, so you'll be perfectly safe."  
  
Emma thought about it for a few minutes. Then she smiled. Then she held out her hand.  
  
"Deal." We shook.  
  
  
  
The days counting down to the Memorial Service was fast. Benny and I made a list of all the classmate who had known and liked Mark. That was quite a few.  
  
"Charlie and Vinnie?"  
  
I checked the class photo. "Yep."  
  
"Ruthie and Vanessa?"  
  
"Their here."  
  
"Is that the photo that every ones friends get into one big photo?"  
  
"Yeah. Mark had this one up on his wall."  
  
"Cool. What about Mazza?"  
  
"He's here, too."  
  
We made a long list and looked in the phone book. We found a last name that suited everyone so we called them.  
  
"Hello, is Mazza Drax there, please?…thanks…Hey Mazza!…It's Jamita, you know, Mark Shadow's little sister?…yeah…we're going to have a memorial service for Mark. He died a few years ago."  
  
After I got off the phone with Mazza, who said of course he'd come, we phoned all his friends, even his old girlfriend.  
  
"Fiona? Fiona Bracegirdle?…"  
  
I explained the situation and I think she must have burst into tears when she hung up the phone because she sounded all choked up. That was to be expected.  
  
  
  
I practiced my speech a lot. I am not really one for a prepared speech, I usually just say things on the spot. But this was important.  
  
  
  
The day finally came, and we had all ridden to Midgewood two days ago. There were a lot of people there. We had about twenty of his friends saying something. When we arrived we were given lots of hugs, Fiona could be seen sobbing her eyes out. I felt bad, she had left school before the holidays so she had never heard of the 'family tragedy' that had happened over the holidays that year.  
  
Julia, Jake and I were both saying something. Jake hadn't really known Mark, because he was only nine when he was killed. I think out of the three of us, Mark liked me the best, not that I'm boasting or anything. But he always paid more attention to me, teaching me self defense and stuff, than the others. We had been inseparable. I was going to speak first.  
  
I walked up the podium stairs and to the microphone.  
  
"Welcome all of you. I'm glad to see what a huge turnout we had for the memorial service of my brother, Mark Geoffrey Shadow. Thank you for all being here, to remember my brother and friend. It really means a lot to me and my younger brother and three sisters. I know he would have loved to be here, but he got delayed. But maybe he is here. In our hearts. " I took a deep breath and continued. "When I was ten, Mark came home from school for the holidays. That night, my father, or should I say former-father, came home drunk. He was so drunk in fact, that he put my baby sister in a plastic bag and held it closed. I ran at my father, and jumped, biting him on the neck. I got thrown across the room. Mark then managed to get the bag away from Galfo and get a gasping Samantha out. While Mark was reassuring Samantha it was all right, Dad had grabbed a butcher cleaver and when Mark turned around to deal with him, Dad struck him in the stomach." Tears were forming in my eyes as I remembered the fateful night. "Mark was brave. He beat the crap out of my dad before he died. And ambulance came to give him a blood transfusion, but they were too late. Mark died in hospital during the night. My father, in the morning, vowed never to get drunk again. That was short lived. The next week, he gave my adopted brother, Jesse, brain damage and killed him. Three weeks after that, Samantha had an asthma attack in hospital from the traumatic experience and died too." I began to sob, Emma came up to support me. I waved her away. I had to do this. It had been haunting my heart for eight years. Now it was time to let it go free. "I would like to recite a poem, that I think fits Mark perfectly."  
  
I began to recite the poem.  
  
"This is to kids who are different.  
  
Kids who don't always get A's  
  
Kids who have ears  
  
Twice the size of their peers  
  
and noses which go on for days.  
  
This is to the kids who are different  
  
Kids they call crazy or dumb  
  
Kids who don't fit  
  
with the guts and the grit  
  
Who dance to a different drum.  
  
Here's to the kids who are different  
  
Kids with a mischievous streak  
  
For when they have grown  
  
As history has shown  
  
It's their difference that makes them unique." 


	62. Emotions run high (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: What do we want? LOTR! When do we want it? NOW!  
  
Summary: Hell, I thought you would have figured it out by now.  
  
***************************************************************************

(Emma's POV)

The Memorial Service went quite well. A lot of kids cried when Jaime said her speech. That was only to be expected. It was very emotional. Afterwards, even though there were a lot of other kids still waiting to speak, Billee and Damon came over to where Boromir and I were standing. Legolas and Benny were following them as usual.

"Em, are you all right?" was the first thing Billee asked. "You look pale"

"I'm fine," I said, with a small smile. "The baby's kicking. He's been kicking all night actually, so I didn't get a lot of sleep"

"What's up with you?" Boromir asked Billee, putting a supporting arm around my shoulders. "You look really upset"

"I…I'm probably going to feel really guilty about this later" Billee muttered, looking down at the ground. "But I don't want to stay for the rest of this. I want to go home" Legolas put Colan down on the floor and wrapped his arms around Billee. 

"It's okay," he whispered. "I know it's hard"

"I can't cope" Billee admitted, his voice breaking. "This all brings back memories. Mark shouldn't be dead…nor should Marcus. I want to go home"

Colan, frightened by his brother's distressed state, started to cry. Damon picked him up and stroked his hair gently. 

"I think that you two should take him home" he said, looking at Billee and Legolas. "He's upset and tired, and you don't look much better. Me and Benny will explain everything to Jaime"

"Maybe you should go too Emma" Benny suggested. "You look tired out and you don't want to overdo it"

"But Jaime…"

"You have been here for Jaime's speech" Benny said gently. "And anyway, Jaime had Frodo, it's not like she's alone"

"He's right Em" Boromir took my hand. "I know that Jaime is your best friend and everything, but right now the most important thing is your health. If you overdo things, there's a chance that things could still go badly. I don't want to lose you"

"That's right" Legolas said with a sigh. "You have to think about yourself and your child. Little Kane. Don't feel guilty, guilt won't get you anywhere"

"I'll tell Jaime that you four have gone back then," Damon said with a nod. "I'm sure that she will understand. I'll see you later"

He handed Colan back to Billee and the two of them disappeared into the crowd. Legolas looked around.

"I think I see Gandalf's hat," he said quickly. "I'll be back in a minute"

He darted off and returned two minutes later with Gandalf. We briefly explained why we needed to go back and Gandalf used his transporter magic. We all appeared back in Jaime's kitchen. Try as I might I couldn't help feeling guilty about leaving Jaime, but I knew that the others were right. If I lost this baby, even if by some miracle I managed to survive, I would never have another chance. I had to be careful.

Billee gave Colan some juice and a biscuit, since the little kid likes those. Then he and Legolas took Colan into the living room and put him down on a chair, for his nap. He fell asleep immediately, tired out by everything that had happened. Legolas and Billee sat opposite him, talking quietly between themselves. I didn't want to disturb them, so I took Boromir's hand and we went upstairs. Being pregnant was making me more tired than usual so we lay down together and talked quietly about our baby. Boromir rested one hand on my stomach so that he could feel the baby kick. He was so pleased that we were going to have a child together. 

When I felt myself dropping off, I reached up to give him a kiss. 

"Boromir" I whispered. "When Jaime comes back…I don't think she'll be upset with us, but if she is don't let her shout at me or Billee. It wasn't our fault"

"It's okay," he whispered gently, stroking my hair. In his arms, I felt protected and loved. And like that, I fell asleep.


	63. A Ghost, A Diary and A Poem (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own nothing wish we did though  
  
Summary: Gee…. Let me think….Nope can't tell you.  
  
A/N: I didn't own that poem in my last chapter either. Damn.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
After my speech, I saw a lot of people crying. I glanced back at the podium. And I walked back up.  
  
"I would just like to say," I said. "A verse to that poem that I made up."  
  
"Here's to the kids who are different  
  
Kids like my big brother Mark  
  
Because when he died  
  
My hardest I tried  
  
To keep him alive in my heart."  
  
  
  
That made some people smile. I wiped the tears away from my eyes and made my way down the stairs. Julia took over and said a little speech. I didn't really hear any of it. Frodo was holding me while I cried into his shoulder.  
  
  
  
After the whole service, I went looking for Emma and Billee. TI couldn't find them. Benny came up to me. I asked him where they were.  
  
"They went back home, Emma wasn't feeling to well. Don't get mad."  
  
"I won't. I understand."  
  
Vinnie came up to me then and I gave him a hug. The hobbit was really very sad. Julia came up with Charlie, Mazza and Fiona.  
  
"Jamie, we're going to the old house to look at some photos of Mark. Want to come?"  
  
"Sure." I said, so Frodo, Vinnie, Me, Mazza, Charlie, Fiona and Julia all walked to our old house and went inside. Julia still had her key.  
  
We all sat on the old couch and Julia got the photo album off the shelf. There were some shockingly funny photos in that album. I decided to keep a few. There was me trying to flip Mark over from the new move he taught me. I kept looking at it and trying not to cry.  
  
I got up from the couch and went up the stairs. No one questioned me. I held Ria in my arms and opened the door to Marks room, which had not been opened for eight years.  
  
The room was still a mess, like it always had been. I looked at all his old stuff. It was all so familiar. Like he had never died. Like he was still alive.  
  
"Jamita. What are you doing in my room?"  
  
I whirled around. There was no one there. My eyes wide in fright, I glanced all around me. There was nothing. No one, anywhere. What was going on?  
  
"Jamita," said the voice again. "Why are you in here? It's the middle of the night."  
  
The voice sounded oddly familiar.  
  
"Mark?" I whispered, my mouth going dry.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Is it really you?"  
  
"Of course it's me. Who else would it be? Now, what's wrong? Were you scared of the storm?"  
  
"What storm?"  
  
"Don't tell me you haven't heard the storm. It's blowing a gale."  
  
"Mark, if it really is you? Why can't I see you?"  
  
All of a sudden, a dim whitish glow appeared beside me. I jumped.  
  
"Mark…" I said, trembling. "You're dead…"  
  
"How can I be dead?" He asked. "I'm right here."  
  
"M-mark, you died eight years ago."  
  
"Oh. You mean I really did die after that?"  
  
"Y-yes."  
  
"Well, I'm here now. I guess my spirit has some unfinished business to take care of."  
  
"W-what would that be?"  
  
"Probably to tell you not to be sad. You were my favourite sister after all."  
  
I stopped trembling. Marks ghost, I guess that is what he was, stood and stared at me.  
  
"Who is that?" It surely can't be Samantha."  
  
"Samantha and Jesse are dead too."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Dad."  
  
"Well, who is this?"  
  
"This is my baby, Ria."  
  
"I'm an uncle?" He said, a smile played about his face. The face I had known and loved for such a short period in my life.  
  
"I guess you could say that." I said.  
  
"Jamita…I think I have to go now. Tell the others not to be sad…thank you for the memorial."  
  
And he faded away. Just like that. Suddenly, it felt like a heavy blanket had been pulled off my heart and I felt happy again. For the first time since Mark had died, I felt happy without a backup thought of sadness.  
  
I looked around the room. It seemed lighter now. Ria was sleeping so I settled her on the bed and looked around a bit more.  
  
After about an hour of digging around, I found a small trapdoor, under the bed. I pulled it open. Inside there was a wooden box. Carved with little intricate designs. I pulled it out. I blew off the dust and opened it.  
  
Inside were all sorts of things. Photos, letters, small toys, rings, money, and Marks diary.  
  
I opened the diary, hoping Marks spirit would forgive me. The first page was written when he first got it, around about the time I was three. A really long time ago.  
  
I fast forwarded to the last entry.  
  
September 3rd 1994. (Morning)  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Well I finally did it. I finally taught Jamita how to flip a person in self defense. She was really very funny. Julia and Jake are watching from the back stoop. Samantha has her little friend, Dawn, over and they are playing in the sandbox. They look so cute. Benny and Lucas have come over for a while and they are watching a movie while I write this. It seems weird, a guy keeping a diary. But I can't confess all my personal thoughts to Mum, Dad, my siblings, or even my closest friends. Not even the principal, Elrond, would understand. I'd better go, Benny is egging me to watch this stupid movie.  
  
(Evening)  
  
Dad came home, pissed drunk again. It makes me so mad. Why does he treat us like this? Does he even care? I don't think so. I got a right ear bashing from him just before, just for walking in front of him while he was watching the TV. Life isn't fair. He beat me up again. Elrond is worried about me and my brothers and sisters. He wants to find us a different home. Somewhere where there isn't violence. But I told him if that happened, we'd all be separated. And I didn't want that. Oh Jamita has been taking a poetry course, she's just handed me her homework to proof read. I'd better.  
  
(Later)  
  
Wow, I never knew my little sister had a poetry streak in her, she wrote a fantastic poem, I think I'll put it in here.  
  
The Girl Next Door  
  
Do you remember  
  
Many years ago  
  
When we were young,  
  
How we used to play together  
  
Every day?  
  
It seems like yesterday-  
  
The childhood world  
  
Of clowns and cotton candy  
  
And summer days  
  
That never seemed to end  
  
When we played Hide 'n' Seek  
  
From four o'clock until dusk  
  
Then sat outside on someone's stoop  
  
And listened to the crickets  
  
And slapped away mosquitoes  
  
And talked about our dreams  
  
And what we'd do when we grew up  
  
Until our mothers called us in.  
  
And do you remember  
  
That one winter when it snowed  
  
For days and days on end  
  
And we tried to build an igloo  
  
Like the Eskimos?  
  
Or when we made a game  
  
Of raking leaves  
  
All up and down the street  
  
Until we'd made the biggest pile  
  
The world had ever seen  
  
And then we jumped in it?  
  
Or how about the time  
  
We gathered honeysuckle  
  
From your yard  
  
And sold it to the neighbors?  
  
And the grand day when finally  
  
The training wheels came off our bikes  
  
And we were free  
  
To explore the whole world  
  
In an afternoon  
  
So long as we stayed  
  
On our own street  
  
  
  
But those days passed by furtively  
  
And we grew up, as children do.  
  
Until we reached a day when we  
  
Assumed that we were to grown up  
  
To play amid the trees on summer nights…  
  
And when I see you now  
  
You've changed in ways I can't explain  
  
You're like a rose that blooms before it's time  
  
And falls victim to the February frost.  
  
Because the waist on your jeans is getting tight  
  
Symbolic of a youth that's not your own  
  
And your face is pale and green-  
  
You don't look well.  
  
I see you scowling at the street  
  
From the window in your room,  
  
It's rare to see you smiling anymore.  
  
And when a car pulls up outside  
  
You run downstairs and out the door  
  
With a suitcase in each hand  
  
And the car speeds away  
  
And the girl next door is gone.  
  
  
  
And I long once more  
  
For the summer days  
  
When I stood on your porch  
  
And banged on your front door  
  
And bade you to come outside to greet  
  
the afternoons adventures  
  
Won't you come out to play, once more?  
  
For we are still so young…  
  
  
  
My sister is a great writer. But I 'd better go. It's passed midnight and I'm dog-tired. I'll write in the morning.  
  
Yours,  
  
Mark.  
  
  
  
I wiped a tear away from my cheek. Mark had kept my very first poem in his diary. I knew then and there that he would always love me, alive or dead. I decided to keep the diary. Maybe I could read it when I was feeling down. That had been the day before he was killed.  
  
I picked up Ria and went back downstairs.  
  
  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
A/N: No I don't own that poem either. That poem belongs to Amanda Dykstra, her poem was published in 'Chicken Soup for the teenage soul, volume one. Cya! Hope you enjoyed it! 


	64. Spending time together (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own nothing wish we did though  
  
Summary: Gee…. Let me think….Nope can't tell you.   
  
**************************************************************************** ****

(Emma's POV)

I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. Next to me, Boromir was still fast asleep. It was beginning to get dark outside and I wondered who could be ringing this late. When I strained my ears, I could hear Billee talking. Although I couldn't hear what he said, he sounded a lot better. I was glad of that; I knew how hard his brother's death was for the whole family. Billee's father had always been a kind man, who loved his sons very much, but after Marcus died, he fell apart. That's when he started drinking and knocking Billee around. It's really sad because I know how much Billee loved his dad. But after what he did to Colan, well Billee has told me himself that he can never feel the same way about his dad now. Don't blame him myself. 

"That was Jaime" Billee said quietly, sticking his head around the door. "She sounded a little happier"

"That's good" I whispered. "What did she say?"

"Gandalf will teleport them back" he said with a shrug. "In an hour or so. And she asked if you were aright"

"What did you tell her?"

"I said you were asleep" he said quietly. "How are you feeling now, anyway?"

"Still tired" I admitted. "I guess that's what pregnancy does to you"  
"Oh well, it will only be a couple of months now" Billee said with a grin. "And then we'll have another little "A very special little baby" I whispered. "A miracle baby"

"Bet he'll get spoilt rotten if Boromir has anything to do with it" Billee smirked. "And how about Boromir's parents? They don't know yet, do they?"

"No, they don't" I told him. "We're going to wait until after Kane is born, then Boromir is going to go up and tell them about it. He isn't sure that his father will completely approve, but he says that it doesn't matter as long as we are together"

"Right" Billee agreed. "Do you want some dinner? We're making soup of some kind. Legolas is cooking and Colan is helping him"

"Sure, we'll be down" I told him. "Just give me a minute to wake my idiot boyfriend up"

Billee gave me another smile and left the room, shutting the door behind him. I shook Boromir gently and kissed him as he started to wake up.

"Time to get up" I whispered in his ear. "Jaime and co are coming back soon and Legolas is making some soup. I told Billee we would be down"

When we got downstairs, Legolas was already dishing it up. Colan was completely covered in the stuff, but at least he seemed happy. 

"Something smells good" Boromir commented as we sat down at the table, still holding hands. Legolas smiled and put two bowls in front of us. It did smell rather nice. It's just a pity it didn't look it. But after I tried a spoonful I realised that it was pretty good. 

We didn't talk much, all of us too focused on eating. Legolas and Billee were taking it in turns to help Colan. I think we were all wondering how the memorial had gone. 

After dinner, Boromir and I settled on the sofa, Legolas did the washing up and Billee took Colan upstairs for a bath. Suddenly Legolas gave a shriek and dropped a plate. I jumped, but Boromir just squeezed my hand. 

"It's alright" he told me. "Jaime and the others must have just come back. Hey Lego" he called, raising his voice. "Take it easy mate. What are you trying to do, kill my future wife?"

I laughed, Legolas laughed, Boromir laughed. When Jaime came out of the kitchen, even she was smiling. And I could see what Billee meant. She did look happier, especially in her eyes. I knew immediately that something had happened to help her. I wanted to ask her, but she was busy dealing with Ria so I didn't say anything. I knew that she would tell me later.


	65. Impossible Things Are Happening Every Da...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nothing. Damn.  
  
Summary: I can't tell you. I'm brain dead.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Gandalf teleported us back to Bag End, when we appeared in the kitchen, Legolas shrieked and dropped the plate he was washing up. Everyone laughed.  
  
"Hey Lego," Yelled Boromir. "Take it easy mate! What are you trying to do? Kill my future wife?" Everyone laughed again. Legolas' shriek had woken up Ria, so I walked into the lounge to rock her back to sleep. Emma and Boromir was in there. Emma looked at me curiously, but, saw I was busy and decided to leave me to it. I just smiled and sat next to her, giving Ria her bottle. Boromir saw this was 'girls time', took the hint and left for the kitchen. Emma turned to me.  
  
"So," she said. "Why so happy all of a sudden?"  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked, playing dumb.  
  
"Well, Billee said you sounded happier on the phone, I want to know what your secret it."  
  
I sighed. "Promise you won't laugh?"  
  
"I swear to heaven and back that I will not laugh."  
  
"Marks ghost came to visit me."  
  
I could tell she wasn't expecting that one coming. I smiled and pulled out the diary.  
  
"What do you mean, his ghost came to visit you?"  
  
"He had some unfinished business."  
  
"Which was?"  
  
"To tell me not to be sad. He'll be there with me."  
  
"Wow. That is…wow."  
  
"I know. And I found his diary among his possessions." I showed her the last entry. The one before the day he died. She read it. When she looked up, she had tears in her eyes.  
  
"You actually wrote that poem?" I nodded. "When?"  
  
"When I was ten years old. Julia had told me, she was fifteen. Her friend got pregnant. So I wrote a poem about it. I got an A for it, too."  
  
Emma laughed. "Mark taught you lots of stuff, didn't he?"  
  
"Heaps. Judo, karate, how to be a hell-bent bitch in three easy lessons…" That got Emma cracking up again. I smiled. "Whaaaaaaat?"  
  
"I don't think you needed those lessons." Emma said. I playfully hit her with a TV magazine. Ria was asleep now, so I thought I'd better put her up in her crib. I went upstairs, lay her down and put on the baby monitor. Then I went back down stairs, finding everyone else at the table, eating some of this leftover soup that Legolas, Billee and Colan had made. I ate some, surprised to find it quite good. It was still early in the evening. And it was Saturday. So it was time to get the movie started. I called everyone into the living room and popped 'Roger and Hammersteins Cinderella' with Brandy as Cinderella. We all paid attention to it, because of the great music. That was the kids movie, after Colan and Wendy, who was spending a lot of time here nowadays, had gone to bed, we put on 'Priscilla: Queen of the Desert' (A/N: Aww come on! It's a classic!) We all laughed at one of the drag queens, Tick, I think was his name, because he looked like Elrond with short hair. Even Elrond had a hard time trying not to laugh at the stupid dances Tick came up with.  
  
Billee decided to add a witty comment. "Hey Elrond, you and Tick are alike. You both love to wear dresses."  
  
Elrond chased him around the house with a chain-saw…okay, now I'm lying, it was actually an electric toothbrush. 


	66. Nightmares and emotions (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nothing. Damn.  
  
Summary: I can't tell you. I'm brain dead.  
  
********************************************************************************

(Emma's POV)

The night after the memorial, I woke up to the sound of Colan crying in my ear. The poor little guy was really scared of something, he was trembling and his PJ's were soaked with sweat. I asked him what was wrong, but he just shook his head, crying too hard to speak. I nudged Boromir and he opened his eyes and gave a yawn. 

"It's early," he muttered. "Go back to sleep, Emma"

"Move up" I gave him a gentle kick in the leg. "Colan's getting in"

"Oh right" He moved to the edge of the bed and promptly fell asleep again. Men! I lifted Colan up and helped him in next to me. He cuddled against me and stopped crying. 

"What happened Colan?" I asked gently. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"I…I dreamed that I was all by myself" Colan answered with a sniff. "And my old daddy was there. He tried to take me away, and then Marcus came and tried to take me too. But old daddy was…being mean and Marcus was…all dead. I didn't want to go with them, but they kept…chasing me"

"Oh Colan" I hugged him tightly. "Your dad will never take you away. Ever. Elrond will make sure of that"

"Elrond is my daddy now" He muttered sleepily. "He's nice" He paused for a moment then looked up at me, his thumb approaching his mouth again. "Emma, do ghosts exist?"

"No Colan, they don't," I told him. He looked puzzled.

"But Jaime told you that she saw Mark's ghost" he said. "Was she lying?"

"No, not really" I told him, stroking his hair. "Sometimes, when people are really upset, they see things that aren't there" I did believe Jaime, if she said she saw Mark's ghost then she did. But it seemed that Colan had overheard us and it had had quite an effect on him. If telling him that ghosts didn't exist made him feel better, then great.

Colan stared at me for a minute, trying to work out if I was telling the truth. "Okay then" he said finally. With that, he put his head on the pillow next to mine and fell into a deep sleep.  

In the next week or so, things gradually got back to normal. I think that having the memorial service and seeing Mark's 'ghost', really helped Jaime. Although she still got upset now and again, she was finally coming to terms with his death. I just wished that Billee and Damon could do the same, but I knew that things were slightly different in Billee's case. If Marcus hadn't died, all the other stuff wouldn't have happened. And because of that, Billee feels angry with his brother for leaving him alone to deal with the aftermath of his death. Marcus took the easy way out and both Billee and Colan have suffered because of his decision. But they coped well with it all. Benny's ribs were healing fast and from the sounds of it, Jaime's parents were getting the treatment they deserved. Things were looking up.

As for me, I was now six and a half months gone. I hadn't put on a great deal of weight, which was quite worrying, but I could feel the baby kicking a lot. I was having regular check ups and everything seemed to be going fine, although I was advised to get a lot of rest. Benny said that they wouldn't let me give birth naturally, because if I started losing blood, it could be really dangerous for the baby and me. Which reminded me that I needed to ask him something.

One sunny afternoon, we were all sitting around in the garden just taking it easy. When Damon went inside to get a drink, I went over and sat next to Benny.

"I want to ask you something," I said slowly. "Boromir and I have talked about this and he agrees that it would be a good idea"

"What would?" he looked bemused. "Tell me"

"I know you aren't officially a doctor" I blurted out. "But you know all the medical terms and stuff and you know what you are doing. So, we were wondering, since I don't trust doctors, could you be in the room with us? Just so we could have someone who would explain what was going on and that"

Benny looked completely amazed, for a moment he was lost for words. Then suddenly he began to smile.

"Emma" he said taking my hand. "I would be honoured"

Things certainly were getting back to normal. Colan's birthday was in a week's time and Billee wanted to give him a small party. I only hoped that things would continue to go okay for a while longer…


	67. Scratched knees and party invitations (J...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nothing ::sob::  
  
Summary: pshh I dunno.  
  
A/N: Bad news guys, I got real bad marks on my report card and mum has taken off the Internet. This means, I'll have to update at school and not as frequently. Sorry, but I have to get good marks!  
  
A few days after the memorial service, I was organising the invitations for Colan's birthday party. Damon, Benny, Boromir, Emma and Elrond were all watching 'Braveheart' in the lounge. Colan was drawing at the kitchen table.  
  
"Colan?"  
  
"Yes, Aunt Jamie?" he asked. I loved it when he called me that.  
  
"Who do you want to invite to your birthday party?"  
  
He thought about it for a while. "Wendy, Zeke, Casey, Stan, Max, Dawn, Hamish, Jack, Jenny and Anna."  
  
"That's quite a lot of names, where did you meet them all?"  
  
"At the Singing competition. They were all there with Wendy. And Max, Dawn, Jack and Hamish were in our group."  
  
"Oh that's right. Well, I'll finish up the invitations. Do you want to invite Wendy over?"  
  
"Yeah!" He said and jumped up to use the phone. I laughed.  
  
"Hello, is Wendy there?" He asked after he had dialled the number. That kid was smart.  
  
"Hi Wendy, want to come over and play?"  
  
Wendy must have said yes because, he cheered. That made me laugh even more. But then I heard Ria crying over the baby monitor and went up to see what was wrong.  
  
I opened the door and picked up my daughter. Pong, she was a bit whiffy.  
  
"My gosh, missy, you need a nappy change." I said. Ria just burbled and laughed.  
  
I smiled and put her on the changing table.  
  
"P.U. Ria, you really do need changing." I said as I wrinkled my nose to the smell. I won't put you through the gory details.  
  
When I finished changing her, we went down stairs together. She waved a podgy arm in my face and did a baby squeal.  
  
I looked out the window to see Wendy and Colan in the garden playing with Laddie and Casper. Max and Dawn were there too. Billee and Legolas were watching them play, talking quietly.  
  
I went into the lounge with Ria and her bottle to catch the last half an hour of Braveheart. Something told me today was going to be a good day.  
  
I must have spoken to soon because there was a squeal like a stuck pig and some crying. I handed Ria and the bottle to Emma, who was starting to bulge out a lot more, and ran outside to check what happened.  
  
Colan was sitting on the ground, his hands over his knee and he was wailing.  
  
I ran up to him as Billee knelt down in front of his brother.  
  
"What happened?" I asked.  
  
"Colan fell off the tyre swing. I think he scratched his knee."  
  
I checked Colan. Sometimes, kids could make a lot of fuss over nothing. I gently pulled his hand off the damaged knee to find just a red mark.  
  
"What did you do, Colan?" I asked gently.  
  
"I fell off the tyre swing. It hurts."  
  
"I know," I looked at the knee and put my ear to it, pretending to hear for a pulse. "I'm sorry Colan, this leg is going to have to come off. I'll go get Frodo's saw."  
  
Colan screamed and tugged at my jeans, which fell down because I wasn't wearing a belt. He stayed silent for a maximum of two seconds then burst out laughing. The other kids began laughing too and Billee and Legolas soon followed. It was rather funny.  
  
"Do you want a band-aide?"  
  
Colan nodded and I produced a band-aide with Winnie-the-Pooh on it. He began to smile again and I knew the whole incident was forgotten. 


	68. Party Time (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nothing ::sob::  
  
Summary: pshh I dunno.  
  
A/N: Don't worry Risty. I have exams in about four weeks and my teachers are giving us a lot of work (and I mean a lot!) so I don't have that much time to update either. Hopefully things will get back to normal after the exams, at least for me anyway.  
  
(Emma's POV)  
  
A week later was Colan's birthday party. Before all the kids showed up, Billee and Jaime were rushing around getting prepared. Colan and Wendy were constantly getting under their feet. Damon and Benny had gone out riding that morning so they weren't around. They had done the sensible thing if you ask me. I couldn't help much since I was under strict orders to take it easy, so Boromir and I tried our best to keep the kids occupied in the living room while the others finished the preparations.  
  
The little kids finally turned up and the party got underway. Colan got some good presents, I must say. Jaime and Frodo got him a Polaroid camera. He really loved it, even though he kept forgetting how to use it. Billee and Legolas got him a fake gold necklace that looked exactly like Billee's. And me and Boromir got him a pack of easy to read children's books, so that Billee could help him learn to read. He also got various other clothes and toys, and a kiss from Wendy. He looked so surprised when she kissed him, that we couldn't help but laugh.  
  
All afternoon, they ran around giggling and shouting. They were so cute, and I couldn't wait until mine came along. Then Jaime called them inside for some food and they set to work making a complete mess of the kitchen. Jaime didn't care, her and Frodo just laughed. Colan managed to get ice cream over, not just himself, but all the other kids too. But I was glad that Colan was happy. I knew that he had never had a real birthday party before, not one that he could remember at any rate. The little kid deserved a bit of fun.  
  
Finally all the kids, apart from Wendy, were collected by their parents. Me and Elrond had done our best to clean them up, but none of their parents minded the fact that they were a little grubby and sticky. Then Damon and Benny came back, just in time to help us clean up. After everything was tidy, we all settled down to watch 'The Lion King' which is Colan's favourite video. Colan was sitting on Billee's lap and Wendy was on Legolas. They both looked worn out by the excitement of the day. When the film had finished, Billee stood up.  
  
"Come on Colan, Wendy" he said softly. "Time to go to sleepy-bye land"  
  
Colan got up, with Billee's help and smiled at us. "Goodnight everyone" he said sleepily. "Today was the best day in the world"  
  
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Colan" Elrond said with a smile. "Go to sleep now, okay?"  
  
"Yeah" he ran over and gave Elrond a hug "Goodnight daddy"  
  
I couldn't help smiling at that. Colan was so cute. And the day had been a complete success. Things finally seemed to be going alright for us all… 


	69. Worries and Retorts (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: We own nothing ::sob::  
  
Summary: pshh I dunno.  
  
A/N: Bad news guys, I got real bad marks on my report card and mum has taken off the Internet. This means, I'll have to update at school and not as frequently. Sorry, but I have to get good marks!  
  
About a week after the party, we were all seated around the kitchen table for breakfast. The newly turned seven-year-old Colan was bouncing around, making it hard for Billee to sit him in his chair. I was laughing.  
  
"Billee, do you want me to get some rope and I'll tie him to the chair? Or did he eat my bag of gummy worms last night?" I asked. Everyone laughed.  
  
"Jamie, I think he ate the left over sweets from the party." Said Frodo, his eyes twinkling. I raised my eyebrows.  
  
"Well. I wonder what kind of penalty that deserves?" I asked.  
  
Colan ignored me. He just kept bouncing around like a rabbit with its bum on fire.  
  
Damon came in a little late. He looked a little sullen.  
  
"Yo Damon, what's up?"  
  
Damon just glared at me and got himself some toast. I shrugged. Must not have had a very good nights sleep.  
  
  
  
It went on like that for almost the entire day. Finally at around lunchtime, I got sick of Damon being so mad and ignoring me. I mean, he was fine the day before.  
  
"Hey, Emma. I think Damon is trying to ignore me." I said, just loud enough for Damon to hear. Everyone else's ears perked up.  
  
"Really? Doesn't he know that is humanly impossible?"  
  
"I don't think he's realised it yet!"  
  
"Good lord! He's in for a shock when he finds out!"  
  
Damon turned and raised an annoyed eyebrow. I grinned.  
  
"What? Was I talking to you?" I asked. Damon turned and regarded Emma.  
  
"Is she always this annoying?" He asked.  
  
"Only to those I adore most." I said, nudging Frodo slightly. Frodo grinned. Damon turned to me.  
  
"Was I talking to you?"  
  
"No but it is my duty to be arrogantly obnoxious."  
  
The whole yard burst out laughing and Damon just scowled so more. Why on earth was he being so hard to get along with today?  
  
  
  
That evening, I put on 'The Lion King 2' for the littlies. Colan seemed to have calmed down a lot and soon after the movie was finished, he gave Elrond a hug and went upstairs to bed. Wendy had gone home before. There was a soft knock at the door and I opened it.  
  
It was Blue. She looked a little worried.  
  
"Hey Blue, what's wrong?" I asked her.  
  
"Wendy isn't here is she?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly.  
  
"No, I thought she went back home. She left about half an hour ago." I said, beginning to pick up on the thread of worry.  
  
"Well she isn't home yet, Mum is getting real worried."  
  
"Calm down Blue, maybe she stopped at Anna's or Dawn's."  
  
"Maybe, but I can't help but feel worried."  
  
I took my friend into the kitchen and got Frodo. I explained the situation and we went into the kitchen to talk to Blue. 


	70. An Accident...or not? (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Not ours. Unfortunately.

Summary: I can't tell you. I'm brain dead.

********************************************************************************

(Emma's POV) 

Billee and I joined the conversation in the kitchen. Poor Blue looked really upset and nothing Jaime said could reassure her. I could understand why. It had been dark outside for a while and Wendy is usually very good about getting home before dark. Or calling if she'll be somewhere else. Even though she was very young, she was also very sensible. I didn't believe that she would just go wandering off alone.

"Emma" Billee put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure she just lost track of time," he said softly. I knew that he was just saying it, in an attempt to keep us calm. "Damon, Benny, Legolas and I will go and look for her," he continued. "Elrond's upstairs with Colan, when he comes down, tell him what happened, but that it is under control and there is no need to panic. Boromir, Frodo, stay here with the girls. And please don't worry. We'll find her, no problem"

They put on their jackets and called for the three dogs. As the door shut behind them, Blue put her head on the table and began to cry. Jaime and Frodo were doing their best to comfort her when Elrond walked in, with Bilbo just behind him. 

"Colan's asleep," he said, then suddenly noticed Blue. "What's the matter?" he said immediately. "What's happened? Where are Billee and Legolas?"

"Wendy's…gone missing" I told him, then felt the tears beginning to slide down my own cheeks. Boromir held me and rubbed my back as I cried against his shoulder. 

"Please let her be alright," I whispered, over and over again. "Please let her be okay. Please"

(Billee's POV)

Outside Jaime's house, the four of us stood still and looked at each other helplessly. Although none of us wanted to admit it, we had no idea where to look. She could be anywhere: the park, the Easy Traveler, someone's house… Hobbiton is such a big place that the possibilities were almost endless. There was no time to lose; yet unless we knew where to look, searching for her was pointless. 

"Where would you go if you were young and scared?" Benny asked finally. We could only shrug. "Then let's just walk around and call her name for a while" he suggested. "That's all I can think of"

Suddenly, Laddie gave a growl. As we turned around, he shot off with Casper behind him. They were heading in the direction of…

"The lake!" Damon yelled suddenly. "Oh crap! Quick guys"

He ran after the dogs as quickly as he could. We looked at each other and dashed after him. As we came to the edge of the lake, we heard a loud splash. 

"Look!" Benny yelled suddenly. We all looked to where he was pointing. Near the middle of the lake, right where the water was deepest, Laddie was struggling to keep himself above water. He held Wendy firmly by the shoulder, but she seemed to be unconscious. Our worse fears had been confirmed. And worse still, we could do little to help. The lake, as well as being deep, is full of weeds. Even the most experienced swimmer would be in danger in there. All we could do was stand on the bank and encourage Laddie to keep going.

And continue he did. Twice Wendy slipped from his grip and the second time she went under the water. We thought we had lost her, but the brave dog dived down and dragged her up again. Even when he caught his leg on a weed, he pulled away, ripping the muscles in his leg and kept struggling. Finally he reached the shallow water and Damon went to take Wendy from him. Laddie collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted. Casper and Sol-leks sat beside him, licking his head gently. Damon hesitated briefly, just to make sure that no serious damage had been done, and then brought Wendy over to us. Gently he put her on the ground and he and Benny knelt down beside her. Legolas and I stood back, not wanting to crowd her. Benny picked up her wrist and checked for a pulse. Damon looked panicky.

"She isn't breathing," he said urgently. "We are going to lose her"

"No we aren't" Benny said sharply. "I can feel a pulse, but it's very faint. Give her mouth-to-mouth. Now!"

Damon leant over Wendy and held her nose as gently as he could. With Benny guiding him, he preformed CPR on the little girl. Colan's best friend. How would my little brother cope with losing another person close to him? I only hoped that we would not have to find out.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Wendy coughed and opened her eyes. 

"Where am I?" she mumbled weakly. Damon stood up and moved back, allowing me to kneel beside her. I helped her to sit up and she threw her arms around my neck. She was scared and still very weak, but other than that, and a small cut on her shoulder where Laddie had caught her with his teeth, she was all right. She needed medical treatment since she had swallowed a lot of dirty water, but at least she was alive.

Damon took off his jacket and I wrapped it around her. Then I picked her up and we began to walk back to Bag End. Laddie was limping; his leg was obviously hurt very badly. 

"I'll bandage his leg as soon as we get back" Benny told me when I voiced my concern. "Then he can have some food and a long rest. The damn dog is a hero, that's what he is. A bloody hero" I couldn't help but agree. Neither of the other dogs could have done what he did, but Laddie did it without thinking. A brave dog with a heart of gold, that's what he was.

"Billee" Wendy whispered quietly, half asleep. "He won't get me will he?" Legolas heard her and looked puzzled. I was too.

"Who Wendy?" I asked gently. "Who will get you?"

"The man who made me fall in the lake" she whispered quietly. "A bad man said he was going to get me. And you. All of you. I ran way, but I didn't see where I was going. I fell in"

"This man" I didn't want to ask her, but I knew that I had to. "What did he look like? Was he an elf? Like me?"

"No" Wendy shook her head. "He was smaller than you, but I couldn't see. His face was all shadowy"

"Don't worry about it," I whispered as Bag End came into view. "He won't get you, we'll make sure of that. Your sister is in here, she'll be really glad to see you"

But despite my reassuring words, I was worried. At least I knew that it wasn't Mr Silverblade, but who else could possibly have it in for us? 


	71. Spiralling Downward (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Not ours. Unfortunately.  
  
Summary: I can't tell you. I'm brain dead.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
(Blue's POV)  
  
Billee came into Jamie's kitchen about an hour and a half later, he was carrying Wendy, wet, bedraggled and pale.  
  
„Wendy!" I screamed and grabbed my little sister from the elf's grip.  
  
Wendy coughed and Jamie put her hand on my shoulder.  
  
„She'd better go to the hospital, Blue, she'll be all right." I nodded.  
  
  
  
(Jamie's POV)  
  
Benny, Blue, Wendy and I all raced toward the hospital. When we got there, we rushed to Dr. Elliot, who was, fortunately, standing and talking to the receptionist. But when he saw us, he dropped his clipboard and took the sopping wet hobbit-girl from us.  
  
We trooped down to the examining room, where Dr Elliot checked her over, asked us questions, all the usual stuff.  
  
"Wendy, how did you get into the lake?"  
  
"I fell, a man pushed me."  
  
"What did this man look like, Wendy?"  
  
"He was kind of short, a hobbit I think. I couldn't see his face. It was all shadowy."  
  
I exchanged a look with Benny. It couldn't be my dad, because Lucas was holding him and mum captive.  
  
'Wendy," I said gently. "Did you see what his hair colour was?"  
  
"Sandy brown…I think. I'm not sure."  
  
I nodded as Dr Elliot gave her a shot. She winced and began to cry. The poor little kid had had a traumatic experience and needed to go home. Blue picked her up and we walked toward home slowly. Blue turned off to go home, Benny and I kept on walking to Bag End, after we'd seen the two sisters safely to their front door.  
  
"Well, that was scary." I said. Benny nodded. We got back home, and in the door, Emma, Boromir, Elrond and Bilbo were in the kitchen. Everyone else was in bed.  
  
"She's fine," I stated and we sat down at the table, Frodo walked in, holding Ria, who was almost a year old, by now. In fact her birthday was next week.  
  
Emma looked relieved, Boromir too. Even the room seemed to breath a sigh of relief.  
  
After a cup of hot chocolate to calm my nerves, I went up to bed with Frodo; everyone else went off to bed too. It seemed life was going to spiral downward again. Why does this happen to us? Why not to someone on the other side of the world?  
  
  
  
A/N: woo! And Update! I'm on a high because we had the opening night of Sound of Music last weekend. I was Baroness Elberfeld, a guest at the party. Bow down to me minions! I am rich! I don't have to listen to mindless babble! LOL! 


	72. A visitor and a choice (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Not ours. Unfortunately.

Summary: I can't tell you. I'm brain dead.

********************************************************************************

(Emma's POV)

The following day, Blue came round to give us the news about Wendy. She had been very lucky according to the doctor. If the guys hadn't got there when they did, she would have drowned.

"It wasn't really down to us," Benny said with a shrug. "Damon gave her CPR but if Laddie hadn't dragged her out…" he trailed off and scratched Laddie behind the ears. "I've done my best with his leg," he continued after a moment. "It's just a matter of waiting to see how he is in a week or so"

"Do you think there will be any lasting damage?" I asked. I know it sounded pretty bad, everyone else was concerned about Wendy and I was worried about my dog, but Laddie is my best friend and the thought that I'd almost lost him made me go cold. Benny shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he said honestly. "His leg was bleeding pretty badly, but I'm hoping that he hasn't seriously damaged the muscle. We'll see how he is in a week or so"

"Thanks Benny"

"No problem"

Colan was very upset about Wendy so we all tried to act normally for his sake. He began to have nightmares almost every night, usually coming to me. If he seemed sleepy, I'd let him get in beside me and hold him until he fell asleep, but if he was very distressed, I would take him downstairs and make him a hot drink. I was eight months gone and I wasn't sleeping particularly well anyway, a fact that I knew was concerning Damon, Benny and Boromir. But it wasn't just the toll of pregnancy itself; I was also beginning to worry about the birth. I knew that I had been very lucky so far, I had only bled once after which I had been warned by the doctor to take it easy. But I was aware of the risks and although I didn't regret for one moment choosing to go through with the pregnancy, I couldn't help feeling scared. I couldn't talk to Boromir about my fears, every time I tried, he would just tell me that everything would be all right. I wasn't completely sure whether he was trying to reassure himself or me. I don't think I had ever felt so alone in my life.

A few nights later, we were sitting around watching the traditional Saturday night film. This time we had gone for a horror film, Scream, and it was giving me, Legolas and Jaime plenty of opportunities to cuddle up to our partners. Billee, Damon and Benny love horror films, but the rest of us aren't particularly keen on them. It's a rule however, that we adults take turns in choosing the film we see. 

When it finished, Frodo stood up and switched off the television. The whole room was silent. Suddenly a loud knock at the door made us all jump. 

"I'll get it" Frodo went into the hall and opened the door. We heard him talking to someone, and then he came back in with a strange look on his face.

"Boromir" he said slowly. "There is someone to see you. It's your brother…"

"Faramir" Boromir stood up, looking rather confused. I knew why. Boromir has had almost no contact with his family since we got back together. I guess they don't really approve of me, so I couldn't understand what Faramir wanted.

Boromir went out to the hallway and I followed him. I was just in time to see him embrace a young man, who looked much like a younger version of himself.

"Emma" he said, drawing away. "This is Faramir, my younger brother. Faramir, this is Emma, my fiancée"

"I am pleased to meet you" Faramir said with a nod. But although his words were sincere, his voice was cold. He looked at his brother, ignoring me completely.

"Our father ordered me to come," he said. "Boromir, is there a place where we can talk alone?"

"Come through to the kitchen" Boromir said after a moment. "We can talk there"

"Boromir" As he went past, I grabbed his arm. "What is going on?"

"I don't know," he said with a sigh. "I'll let you know as soon as I have spoken with him. Go back to the living room with the others. I'll be in as soon as I can"

I could do nothing but go back and sit with Billee. But try as I might, I could not relax. I just wished I knew what they were saying.

(Boromir's POV)

We went into the kitchen. Faramir seemed pretty agitated, he was pacing up and down the kitchen with his head down, refusing to meet my eye. 

"Alright Faramir, what's this about?" I asked finally. "It's a bit late for a social call isn't it?"

"You're still with her then?" Faramir said coldly. "Please don't tell me the baby she's having is yours?"

"Of course it is," I snapped. "What business is it of yours anyway? You didn't come all this way to question me on my love life, did you?"

"No" My brother finally lifted his head to look at me. "I've come because father ordered me to try and talk some sense into you"

"I should have known," I said angrily. "Why can't he just let me get on with my life? I don't want to marry Annabel"

"Annabel is a lovely girl," Faramir told me. "Her family are well off, she's beautiful…"

"I don't love her!" I yelled. "I love Emma and nothing is going to change that. And if you think I'm going to turn my back on her now…"

"Boromir, she's nothing special. There are plenty of beautiful and nice girls in Gondor. Come back with me tonight and forget about her"

"No! And if you are going to talk like that, you can get out"

"Father has told me to tell you" Faramir said finally. "That if you don't come back and abandon your plan to marry Emma, he and mother will have nothing more to do with you. It's her or us"

"They can't…" I looked at him in shock, shaking my head. "They can't do that"

"I think you'll find that they can and they will" Faramir turned to go. "I'm sorry Boromir. I just hope that you will make the right choice. I'll be staying in the inn tonight. I'll see myself out"

He stormed out and slammed the front door behind him. I was just trying to get my head around what he had said, when I heard a small voice say my name. I looked up and saw Emma standing at the kitchen door.

"I heard you shouting," she said quietly. "What happened?"

"Father and mother are going to disown me if we go ahead with wedding plans" I said quietly. "Faramir was sent to try and persuade me to go back"

"Oh Boromir! What…what are you going to do?" she sounded so scared and alone and I knew what she was thinking. She was scared that I'd leave her. I went over and slid my arms around her waist.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" I asked. "Do you really think there is any choice?"

"But your family…"

"Maybe they will come round in time," I told her. "But even if they don't, it's their loss. My place is with you and our little one. And anyone who doesn't like it can just get lost"

"Oh Boromir" Emma raised her head and I kissed her gently on the mouth. As I drew back, I saw Damon leaning against the doorpost. He looked at me and winked. I knew then that I had made the right choice.


	73. Mysterious Presents and Lucky Girls (Jam...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Not ours. Unfortunately.  
  
Summary: I can't tell you. I'm brain dead.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
Two days after Faramir had come to see Boromir, we had Ria's birthday celebration.  
  
Colan 'helped' her blow out her candle and everyone cheered. Wendy, who had had to go to Dr. Elliot everyday for a checkup and a shot of antibiotics, opened Ria's presents for her. She mostly go soft toys and a few clothes, but one present, wrapped in blue paper and tied with silver string was left until last. Wendy opened the card that was tucked under the string and handed it to me. I took it, meaning to read it out loud. But, as I scanned the message, I felt my throat seize up.  
  
My dearest darling Niece,  
  
Today is your first birthday. You are growing quite rapidly.  
  
When I first saw you in your mothers arms, in my bedroom,  
  
I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.  
  
I love you very much Ria.  
  
Love always,  
  
Uncle Mark.  
  
PS: This present is also for your mother, I hope you both like it.  
  
I lifted up wide, half-scared eyes and met Emma's. She looked at me, confused and read the card. Soon, she looked up in amazement.  
  
"So you were telling the truth." She whispered. I guess she could tell it wasn't my handwriting. I nodded and began to open the gift carefully. Inside was a box, carved with intricate little pictures of rainbows, birds and trees. I gasped and opened it up. It was filled with photos. Old photos of Stacey, Tracey, Samantha, Jake, Julia, Mark and me.  
  
  
  
That night, we decided, even though it was not a Saturday, to have a movie, in honour of Ria turning one.  
  
For the little kids, we put on 102 Dalmatians. After that was finished Frodo put on the movie he had chosen, which was The Matrix. I think Boromir and Frodo were getting jealous because Emma and I were staring at Keanu Reeves the whole time.  
  
"Keanu is so cute," I told Emma in a whisper. Frodo tapped me on the shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, but is he as good a kisser a me?" and with that, he started playing tonsil hockey with me. Sweet.  
  
Boromir took the queue and began to pash Emma, and all I could think about was how we were the two luckiest girls in the world. 


	74. A Late Arrival (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Not ours. Unfortunately.

Summary: I can't tell you. I'm brain dead.

**********************************************************************************************

(Emma's POV)

The night following Ria's birthday, I woke up in the early hours of the morning with a terrible pain in my stomach. Being careful not to wake Boromir, I got dressed and went downstairs, going over to the gardener's quarters to wake Benny. 

"What is it Em?" he asked, when he finally opened the door. Behind him, in their double bed, I could see Damon rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Has something happened?"

"I think the baby's coming," I told them, trying hard not to cry out as the pain shot through my stomach again. They became instantly alert and dressed quickly. Then Benny put his arm around me and guided me to the door.

"I'm taking her to doctor Elliot's" he called to Damon over his shoulder. "Wake Boromir and Billee and meet us down there"

Ten minutes later, we were at the surgery. Doctor Elliot gave me a quick check over. He looked worried.

"Benny, I don't think we are going to have time to perform the operation," he said quietly. "By the time she is unconscious, the baby will probably already be here"

"So she'll have to…" Benny trailed off and squeezed my hand. The doctor nodded. 

"She'll have to give birth naturally," he told us. "We will have to take the chance. We'll take her in now. Benny, will you help me?"

"Yes" Benny said at once. "Take her in now, and I'll come in as soon as I have spoken to Damon" He gave my hand one more reassuring squeeze before I was wheeled away.

(Damon's POV)

When we arrived at the surgery, the first person we saw was Benny. I could tell by his face that something was wrong. I looked around but I couldn't see Emma anywhere.

"Has she gone in?" I asked. Benny hesitated and then nodded.

"She has," he said. "However, there have been problems. She is too far-gone for them to operate. She has to give birth naturally. It's dangerous, but it is the only way"

"What are the chances of them both coming out alive?" Boromir whispered. All the colour had drained from his face and he looked like he was going to collapse. Billee put a comforting arm around his shoulder. Benny looked uncomfortable.

"About twenty percent" he said quietly. "But Emma is strong. At least stronger than she was last time. She will be alright" he looked around at us all and shrugged. "I have to go in and help Elliot," he told us. "You wait here. I'll let you know how things are going"

We were only waiting for about an hour, but it felt like days. We could vaguely hear Emma crying in pain and it hurt us all, I could see it. Finally Benny came out again, his gloves covered in blood, and we all jumped from our seats. He gave us a weary smile.

"No it isn't quite here yet," he said before any of us could open our mouths. "But she's stable. She wants you in there Boromir"

Boromir nodded and followed him through. Billee, Legolas and I resigned ourselves to another long wait. However, fifteen minutes later, Boromir burst in, a big smile on his face. 

"He's here," he said happily. "My son is here"

The four of us went through to where Emma was. She was asleep, a bit pale, but otherwise okay. Benny stood next to her, holding her son who was wrapped in a blanket. 

"Birth took a lot out of her," he said, turning to face us. "She'll have to stay in here a day or so, just to be on the safe side. But she's fine, they are both fine" He held the baby out to Boromir.

"You want to hold him?" he asked. Boromir stepped forward and took the baby awkwardly from him. The rest of us crowed round as Kane Aran South opened his eyes. 

"He has Emma's eyes" Billee said with a smile. "And your nose, Boromir"

"Poor little sod" Legolas said jokingly and we all laughed. "Nice one Boromir"

"Thanks" Boromir looked at me and smiled. "Would you like to hold him, Damon?" he asked. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I had heard him right. After all, we weren't exactly the best of friends. Boromir held him out to me and I took him, cradling him against my chest as I looked down at him. As I did, I felt a brief pang of jealousy. If I hadn't backed off and let Emma get back with Boromir, it could have been my son that I was holding. But I knew, that while Boromir and I would never be good friends, he made Emma happy and that was all that mattered. There was no point dwelling on how things could be. 

"I'm going to call Jaime," I said, handing him back over to Boromir. "I know it is early, but I think that they and Elrond would want to know"


	75. Christmas day is almost here...(Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Not ours. Unfortunately.  
  
Summary: I can't tell you. I'm brain dead.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
I woke up at around six am to the shrill sound of the phone downstairs. It went silent and I knew someone had answered it. I waited to see if it were for me. Elrond came racing up the stairs.  
  
"Emma has had Kane, she's at the hospital now."  
  
I can tell you, I have never moved that fast before in all my life. I think I shoved Frodo out of bed – entirely by mistake of course. He woke up with a yell.  
  
"Jamie! What are you doing? Trying to kill me?!"  
  
"Emma had her baby, doofus, come on, get dressed!"  
  
It took all of ten minutes to get dressed and race with Elrond to the hospital. Dr. Elliot met us at the door.  
  
"She's right as rain, Jamie, no need to panic." I sighed a breath of relief.  
  
  
  
We went in to Emma's room, where Boromir, Benny, Billee, Damon and Legolas were already sitting there, watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful. I glanced at Boromir, who was looking at her with complete adoration.  
  
Emma woke up slightly and saw us all there. She smiled weakly. „Hey," she said. „am I alive?"  
  
„Well, if you're talking to us, then you must be alive." I retorted kindly, sitting by my friends bed and stroking her sweaty forehead. I stayed there all day. It seemed like such a happy moment. What am I saying? It was a happy moment, and the Baby looked absolutely prescious.  
  
  
  
By this time, it was almost Christmas. Emma and Baby Kane were allowed home after a three day stay at the hospital, in which they had lots of visitors. Wendy and Colan being two of those.  
  
Wendy was staying over at Bag End on Christmas Eve, so she and Colan could open their presents together. They looked so cute together.  
  
As Christmas Eve drew nearer, Emma, Ria, Kane and I all went shopping for presents. The first day we went shopping, there was the first snow of winter. I began to hum 'I'm Dreaming of a white christmas'. Soon, Emma and I were singing softly, so as not to wake the babies.  
  
I had a lot of fun choosing presents for everyone, I think Emma did too.  
  
  
  
Finally, Christmas Eve drew near, surprise surprise, it was a Saturday. Of course, we had to have a christmas film. So for the littlies, we put on Ernest Saves Christmas, which had all of us in gales of laughter. After that, I took the two seven-year-olds up to bed, and sung them a lullaby.  
  
Sleep Tight tonight,  
  
Christmas day is almost here  
  
Morning light is oh so near  
  
Sleep tight tonight  
  
Dream well tonight  
  
Christmas day is almost here  
  
Morning light it oh so near  
  
Dream well tonight  
  
Tired sleepy head  
  
Tucked up in bed  
  
Rest now your prayers  
  
Have all been said  
  
Sleep tight tonight  
  
Just a few short hours more  
  
Till the time you've waited for  
  
Sleep tight tonight.  
  
  
  
I left the room, closing the door slightly, so that a chink of light shone through.  
  
'Santa' would be here very soon… 


	76. The truth can cause trouble (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Not ours. Unfortunately.

Summary: I can't tell you. I'm brain dead.

*******************************************************************************

(Benny's POV)

I watched Damon carefully those few weeks following the birth of little Kane. He was very quiet, even more so than usual, and he looked pale and tired. I knew he hadn't been sleeping well. I had a feeling that he was upset about Emma, but since he wouldn't talk, I had no way of knowing for certain. He wouldn't even talk to Billee. He had just shut down completely. I think Jamie noticed that something was wrong, although she didn't say anything. But you just can't hide things from Jaime. She always knows when something is wrong.

Come Christmas Eve, we watched a movie, then Jaime and Emma out the little ones to bed. Damon didn't really have much enthusiasm for Christmas, ever since father died and his mother went mad, he and his brother never celebrated it. And since his brother's death, there was even less reason for him to be cheerful. Nevertheless, all through Christmas Eve, he put on a brave face, even when Colan and Wendy asked him to sing them carols. In fact, he was a bit too cheerful and I began to get suspicious.

While Jaime and Emma were out of the room, Damon got up and went out to the kitchen. I waited for five minutes and then went after him. As I had guessed, he wasn't in the kitchen. He was in our room, gathering his belongings together. I stood in the doorway for a moment, trying to choose my words carefully.

"You can't go Damon," I said finally. "It's snowing too hard out there. You'll freeze"

"I don't care," he whispered, refusing to look at me. "Benny, I can't stay here. I just can't"

"This is about Emma isn't it?" I asked. Damon didn't reply. "Do you love her, Damon?" I asked again, taking a step closer. "Or is this just a case of 'you can't have her so you desperately want her'?"

"I love her," he said quietly. "I knew she liked me once, but I wouldn't get involved because she was too young and I was scared of hurting her. I guess now it's the other way round. But…I don't think I could have done anything different. Could I Benny?"

"No, I don't think you could have" I told him honestly. "Look, I know this is hard for you, but think about the others. They are all going to be upset and worried if you just disappear on them like this. Tomorrow is going to be stressful enough as it is, with all Elrond's kids coming down to be with their dad. You can bet there will be plenty of arguments and stuff. Besides, I know Christmas hasn't been too good for you in the past, but won't it be nice to celebrate with people who really care about us? Instead of just the pair of us sitting in some tavern somewhere, all alone?"

"Yeah, I guess" Damon agreed hesitantly. "Maybe I could just stay for Christmas…"

"You do that," I told him. "And in the New Year, if you still want to leave, then I'll come with you. We could go back to Silverwood and ask Bernard for our old jobs back. Or we could go back to Lucas for a while. He'll give us work"

"You don't have to do that Benny," he said softly, shaking his head. "I'm the one who can't handle it around here, not you"

"I'll have none of that talk," I told him firmly. "You've always been there for me when things have gone bad and I'm not going to turn my back on you now" 

"Thanks Benny"

"It's okay" I gave him a smile. "Us outcasts have to stick together. I have to go back, or they'll wonder where we've gone. I'll tell them that you had a headache and went to bed early, okay?"

"Fine" He must have seen my look because he quickly added "Don't worry, I won't sneak off"

"I'll kill you if you do" I called back over my shoulder. Then I left our quarters and hurried back to the warm living room where Frodo was handing around wine and mince pies. Boromir was sitting with Kane on his knee, making funny faces. There were presents stacked under the tree. It was a very cosy scene. And outside, the snow continued to fall.

(Emma's POV)

When Benny came back, Damon wasn't with him. As he sat down heavily beside me, I leant over and asked him what had happened.

"Nothing" he said with a shrug. "Damon had a headache. He went to bed early. Thanks Frodo" he added as Frodo handed his a glass of wine. To him the subject was closed, but I knew that there was more to it.

"I'm going outside for a few minutes," I told Boromir quietly. "I need to be on my own. You can deal with Kane can't you?"

"No problem. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine" I told him. "Just a bit of fresh air and some time alone, that's all I need"

I picked up my riding cloak from the back of the sofa and slipped out. Everyone was watching some comedy thing on TV and no one saw me go. I threw my cloak around my shoulders, opened the kitchen door and stepped out into the snow-covered garden. It looked completely amazing.

"Beautiful isn't it?" a voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see Damon leaning again the wall. "Just like you"

"Damon…"

"I know" he held up his hands in defence. "I'm sorry" He paused for a moment, and then looked straight at me. "Can I tell you something?" he asked me. "Without you getting mad and slapping me or something?"

"Go on"

"When Kane was first born, Boromir gave him to me to hold" Damon said sadly. "I looked down at him and I thought, 'this could have been my son' and I regretted not fighting for you while I had the chance"

"Damon…" Try as I might, I couldn't think of anything else to say. "Are you saying…?"

"I love you," he confessed. "I love you with all my heart. I've never had feelings this strong before and I don't know how to handle them. Part of me wants to take you indoors and show you what real damn pleasure is, but I…I don't want to be the one responsible for breaking up you and Boromir. Kane needs his father and I can't do that to either of them"

"I…I had no idea" I said softly, shaking my head and taking a step towards him. "I thought your feelings for me vanished long ago"

"Vanished, no" Damon gave a bitter laugh as I continued to walk towards him. "I kept them hidden in the hope that they might disappear, but they never did"

"Never did? Damon, how long?"

"Five years" he said embarrassed. "When you had that crush on me when you were fourteen. But you were too young and I couldn't risk it. Now I wish I had" 

I'm not sure how it happened, or who made the first move. All I know is that one minute I was standing in front of him, the next I was in his arms and we were kissing. Hard. And as terrible as it sounds, although we both knew that it was wrong, neither of us did anything to stop it. 

It wasn't until we both sensed someone watching us that we stopped. With our arms still around each other, we turned to face the now open kitchen door. Jaime stood there, her arms folded and a scowl on her face…


	77. Assailants, Apologies and Acusations (Ja...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: I look into the mirror of Erised® and I see myself owning the LOTR Characters. If you don't know what the mirror of Erised is, I suggest you read Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone (Sorcerers Stone).  
  
Summary: Gee…let me think…nah, can't tell ya.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****************  
  
I glared at Damon and Emma, standing out in the snow.  
  
"And I thought I had seen it all." I growled, stifling a sneeze. I had caught a cold that afternoon. I whirled around and began to make my way into the living room to tell Boromir. I was sick of sticking up for Emma. Maybe I should just go and stay at school again. While wondering, I had unconsciously made my way up the stairs and lay on my bed. I hugged the pillow as tears slid down my nose.  
  
It just wasn't fair. Why did life have to be so hard? I tried. Honestly I did. But nothing ever seemed to turn out right.  
  
I grabbed my cloak and ran out to the stables, saddling Winsome and riding through the snowstorm. It was freezing! I kept on riding but soon, the snow started to blind me. I slowed down and trotted down the partially snow- covered road toward Bree.  
  
Soon, it became so hard, I couldn't even see. I saw the small wood up ahead though and stopped under a tree.  
  
Suddenly, Winsome bolted. Something must have startled him. I don't know what, but I clang onto the reins for dear life. I heard a voice shouting behind me.  
  
"I'll get you! Mongrel Hobbit! I swear! I will get you! And your little family!"  
  
I think I screamed, but I'm not sure, I whirled Winsome around and faced my assailant. I knew I could use the self defense that Mark had taught me, but that wouldn't really help me.  
  
I dismounted and held tightly onto the reins of my horse. The man staggered forward in the snow and raised a knife. I screamed bloody murder and dodged as he swiped the air. I knew how to dodge this kind of attack, but in pounding snow, it was going to be hard. Very hard.  
  
Suddenly, my assailant was shoved backward, and, I swear, I saw a figure begin to pound and bash him up. As I watched, the figure I thought I saw, came into view and helped me up. Before I fainted, I felt myself being lifted onto the horse and riding back toward home.  
  
  
  
I woke up on the couch in the living room. Frodo was there. patting my forehead with a damp cloth. He looked relieved when I opened my eyes. Benny was there, and Billee, and Legolas. Emma was there, next to Boromir and Damon was in the corner. Elrond was there somewhere too.  
  
"Are you okay, Jamie?" Frodo asked, with a worried tone in his voice.  
  
"I-I think so. Who saved me?" I stammered with a croak in my voice. A figure stood and came forward out of the shadows. It was Randy.  
  
"I saw you get off your horse, Jamie." He said, smiling a bit. "And I saw that guy come at you. To say sorry for the way I treated you in High School, I saved your butt."  
  
Frodo sighed. "Do you know who the assailant was, Randy?"  
  
"I do." I said and everyone turned to me. "It was the same guy who pushed Wendy into the lake. It was Gimli Dwarf." 


	78. Poor Jaime, Poor Randy (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: I look into the mirror of Erised® and I see myself owning the LOTR Characters. If you don't know what the mirror of Erised is, I suggest you read Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone (Sorcerers Stone).  
  
Summary: Gee…let me think…nah, can't tell ya.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****************

(Emma's POV)

I think we were all shocked when Randy came in carrying Jamie. It was such a relief when she opened her eyes. We sat in silence while Randy told us what happened. His tone was hesitant and he knew that he wasn't wanted there, even if he had saved Jamie's life. Boromir, Billee and Legolas were glaring at him and as for me; well I couldn't even look at him. I hated him that much. Eve though he had saved my best friends life, I still wished he was dead.

"Thanks Randy" Benny muttered, when Randy had finally finished talking. He put his hand in his back pocket and pulled out a bunch of notes. He peeled a few off and held them out to Randy. 

"Take these and get out," he said sharply. Jaime and Frodo looked shocked, but not as shocked as Randy did. 

"I just saved Jaime's life," he muttered, lowering his head. "Aren't you even going to let me stay for Christmas? Or even just one night?"

"No" Benny shook his head. "You may have saved Jaime's life, but you nearly destroyed Emma's and quite a few others that I know of. Plus my father said that I was to have nothing more to do with you or he'll turn me in for…well you know. Sorry Jaime, but if he stays, I can't. I can't risk it"

"No, I understand" Randy said slowly. "Thanks for the money, brother. I'll be spending Christmas alone at the inn if anyone wants me" He stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind him. Billee, Legolas and Boromir relaxed as soon as he had gone. 

"Are you alright Emma?" Boromir asked gently. I just nodded, afraid that if I opened my mouth, the wrong words would come out. I could see that Jaime was rather upset about them all ganging up on Randy like that, but I wouldn't have stayed if she did, nothing could make up for the stuff he did to me. 

Gimli wasn't mentioned again, although one thing was clear. He couldn't hurt us providing we didn't go off by ourselves. I overheard Billee and Benny talking, saying that they were going to wait until after Christmas before hunting him down and kicking his butt. 

Soon the others began drifting off to bed. As I followed Boromir, Damon cornered me in the hall.

"Have you spoken to Jaime yet?" he asked. I shook my head and he looked worried. "Do it soon" he told me. "Before she says anything"

"I will," I promised, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Benny came out then and I did the same to him so that no one would get suspicious. 

After they had gone, I called up to Boromir and told him that I would only be a minute. Then I went back into the living room, where Frodo was still looking after Jaime.

"Frodo" I asked quietly. "Could I have a private word with Jaime please?" Frodo nodded immediately, got up and went to the kitchen, shutting the door behind him. I noticed that Jaime still looked pretty mad with me.

"Jaime" I said quietly. "Please don't tell Boromir about what happened earlier. Please" I waited, wondering what her reply would be…


	79. People, Parties and Presents (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: I look into the mirror of Erised® and I see myself owning the LOTR Characters. If you don't know what the mirror of Erised is, I suggest you read Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone (Sorcerers Stone).  
  
Summary: Gee…let me think…nah, can't tell ya.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****************  
  
Again, I glared at Emma.  
  
"And why not?" I asked, scowling. "You have done the same thing that happened almost a year ago, Emma. Not only that, you turned the guy who saved me from Gimli away and into the snow. Anyway, this is our house and we decide who stays and who doesn't."  
  
Emma looked shocked. I think she realized what she and the others did. I got up and put on my cloak again, told Frodo to come with me and we ran outside. The snowstorm had stopped and Randy's tracks were not completely filled in. We followed them until we saw Randy up ahead. I was about to call out to him when Frodo nudged me to be quiet. He pointed silently to who he was talking to and pulled me behind a tree so we could listen to Randy and Gimli talking.  
  
"Gimli, why are you trying to kill them? That wasn't part of the plan. You were only meant to scare them."  
  
"Can I help it if I want to kill that mongrel hobbit and bloody elf for expelling me?"  
  
"Dude I think you need therapy."  
  
"Ahh you're probably right, as usual. Come on. It's fricken freezing out here. Let's go."  
  
After they had left, I turned and stared at Frodo. He held me as I cried quietly.  
  
  
  
I was still mad at Emma. I mean, even her child hadn't made see that she was meant to marry Boromir. And after all the sacrifices that he had made.  
  
On Christmas Eve, I had gone to Dr. Elliot's for a checkup. I knew something no one else did. And it was making me very happy. So, on Christmas Day, I announced it. Even Frodo was surprised.  
  
"Frodo, this is one of my Christmas presents to you," I said, when everyone had seated around the beautifully decorated tree. "We're going to have twins."  
  
I swear everyone's jaws dropped at the same moment. Elladan, Elrohir(who had shown up about an hour ago) smiled. Arwen, who was playing with Ria grinned at me.  
  
"I have news too." She said. "I'm pregnant." Elrond looked at his 'little girl' with tears of happiness in his eyes. I saw Emma staring at me, as if daring me to say something. I turned to her and whispered. "I won't tell him, since it's Christmas, but I have my eye on you, Emma Silverblade- South." She winced at the name and nodded.  
  
That afternoon, of course, was the party. Hobbits from all over the shire came. Some elves came too. Glorifindel and Amanda came, with their new baby girl, Galadriel and Celeborn arrived only to have Elladan and Elrohir throw themselves at the two. Legolas' family came. I was surprised when Vinnie, Mazza, and most of Mark's friends showed up with Julia, Jake, Stacey and Tracy. But what surprised me most of all was my aunt, uncle, Baz, his sisters, Rhonda and Muriel and his brother, Bryce arrived. I flung myself at them as did all my siblings.  
  
This party was going to be a good one…I hoped… 


	80. The Party (Emma)

Life After High School  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, not ours! Not in any shape or form!  
  
Summary: Hell come on already! Surely you've read this far!  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
(Emma's POV)  
  
The party was just like I thought it would be. Great for most of them, but not for me. I hate parties and people so all I could do was stand back and watch the others enjoying themselves. And most of them were. Boromir, Billee, Legolas, Baz and Elrond's sons were having a drinking contest. Aragorn and Arwen were huddled in one corner and Glorfindel and Amanda were in another. Julia was flirting with Benny who looked as though he didn't know whether to go along with it or get out of there. Looking around, I could see only one other person who looked as miserable as I felt and that was Damon. He was slumped in a corner with a drink in his hand, looking as though the world had ended. Unfortuanately, although Jaime was busy being a great host, every time I moved too close to Damon, she would turn and glare at me. She had been doing it all night and I was getting fed up with it. I only wanted to be with someone who wasn't enjoying themself either, it wasn't like I was stupid enough to jump on him in a room full of our friends. Maybe under different circumstances I would have approached him anyway, but I knew that if Jamie even had reason to suspect that anything was going on, she would give me hell and that was the last thing I needed.  
  
Jake came over then and I spent a few minutes talking to him. When I looked back over, Damon had disappeared. I glanced around the room, but I couldn't see him anywhere. Hardly surprising really, considering that the living room was so crowded that you could barely move. Suddenly I needed to get out. Quickly I worked my way through the crowds towards the hallway door. When I reached it, I looked around to see if Jaime was watching me. She wasn't so, taking advantage of the moment, I opened the door and slipped out.  
  
There were only a few couples in the hall. Since they were all rather tangled, I couldn't really see who they were, but I could vaguely make out Sam and Rosie amongst them. Completely ignoring them all, I made my way into the kitchen. I had barely entered when I felt a pair of arms encircle my waist.  
  
"You've been ignoring me" Damon said, sounding rather hurt. "It's Jaime isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah, it is" I told him, turning to face him. "She's been keeping an eye on me. She says that if I step out of line, she'll tell Boromir about...the other night. I'm sorry"  
  
"Well we're alone now" Damon replied with a smirk. "So let's make the most of it"  
  
Before I could say anything, he bent his head and kissed me hard on the mouth. I kissed him back, grabbing his hair with one hand, pulling him closer. With my free hand I began to unbutton his shirt. He slipped his hand inside my t-shirt.  
  
"Do you know what you do to me?" he whispered in my ear. "You drive me crazy"  
  
"Damon" I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the door. "Not here. Someone is going to come in. Lets go...to your room"  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked. I just nodded. He smiled and followed me to the room he and Benny shared.  
  
Damon shut the door and set Sol-leks on guard. We made love and fell asleep in each others arms. I knew that Boromir would be too drunk to realise that I had gone. I just hoped that Jaime wouldn't notice that we were both gone and put two and two together... 


	81. Bad news, Arguments and deals (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: I look into the mirror of Erised® and I see myself owning the LOTR Characters. If you don't know what the mirror of Erised is, I suggest you read Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone (Sorcerers Stone).  
  
Summary: Gee…let me think…nah, can't tell ya.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****************  
  
The party was great, though I had to keep an eye on Emma. I knew she was getting fed up with me, but I was doing it for her own good. In the corner I could see Damon looking like a bus had run him over. He was so depressed. I began to feel sort of sorry for him. He loved Emma and I just hoped that Emma loved Boromir more than him. It's not that I minded them spending time together. It was just I didn't want Emma to break Boromir's heart again. He would just hit the bottle yet again.  
  
I watched Elrond, Arwen, Elladan, Elrohir and Aragorn sitting and drinking their alcohol (soft drink in Arwen's case). They all looked so happy to be together after such a long time.  
  
After about three hours of the Christmas party, I looked over to where Emma had been sitting. She wasn't there. Uh oh… Damon wasn't anywhere either. Double uh oh… I began to panic slightly. I knew what they had done. But I didn't want to 'disturb' them.  
  
The next morning, I was sitting on the low tree branch, where I had told Emma I was pregnant. Someone came up behind me. I could tell before I turned around that it was Emma.  
  
"Why?" I asked, icily. "Isn't Kane and Boromir enough for you?"  
  
"Jaime, I had to -"  
  
"Had to? HAD to? Had to what, Emma? I have to tell Boromir now. And when Kane's old enough, Boromir will have to explain to him why he hasn't got a mother!" I yelled, but my throat told me that wasn't such a good idea because it was still getting over my cold.  
  
"Please, Jamie. Don't tell Boromir. I love him with all my heart, but this childhood crush… I don't know why I did it…" she trailed off. I glared at her for a long time before I said something.  
  
"I'll make you a deal. If you and Damon don't do anything else, I won't tell Boromir. But if you do… then I WILL tell him. Boromir is a great friend, Emma. I can't keep secrets from great friends unless I have a satisfactory reason."  
  
Emma nodded. Then we shook hands. "Deal."  
  
Over the six weeks that followed Christmas, Dr. Elliot gave me a job as a part time receptionist, I went for fortnightly checkups to see how the twins were doing and I made up with Emma.  
  
That had been a big deal for me, I had told the silly girl that I wouldn't tell Boromir until I saw a reason to. Like her spending to much time with Damon. She agreed, much to my delight. I didn't want to have a fight with her. We had done so well for about six months now.  
  
While the morning sickness was almost unbearable, I was having a good pregnancy. Frodo loved to think of names. So I put him in charge of that.  
  
"How about Jerry and Josh if they are boys, and Sarah and Simone if they are girls?" He said, which made me roar with laughter. Sam and Rosie, who had gotten married about six months before Christmas, had just celebrated the birth of their new little boy, Benjamin Gamgee. They were very proud. Frodo and I were made god-parents, because Frodo was Sam's best friend.  
  
One morning, Emma came down the stairs and saw me in the kitchen eating chopped fruit and drinking milk.  
  
"Hello, what happened to the girl who couldn't eat anything but dry toast and weak tea?" she asked.  
  
"Oh I can tell you, it feels great. The morning sickness is finally gone and I'm feeling hungry. These little guys are taking it out of me."  
  
Emma laughed and grabbed some breakfast. I got up and put my things in the sink.  
  
"I'll see you later. I have an ultrasound and then I have to work until one."  
  
"All right. Have a good time."  
  
"Like hell."  
  
I left with Emma's laughter following me.  
  
At work, another doctor, Dr. Kurt, thought he owned the place, which he didn't. He thought he could push me around. Order me to do what he wanted. I always came up with instant comebacks and got on with my work. He was such an idiot. Pregnant women were not ones to be pushed around. So the one day that I came in early, he called out to me.  
  
"Jamie! Would you please assist me in getting Mr. Gaffer Gamgee into his hospital room?"  
  
"You know, as much as I would love to, Kurt, I can't. I'm here to have my fortnightly ultrasound. If you'll excuse me." And I walked off.  
  
(Frodo's POV)  
  
I can't believe we're going to have twins. It makes me happy. Sam, Merry and Pippin came over today, while Jamie was at work. Emma, Boromir, Kane and Ria had gone out to do some shopping, Emma had offered to take Ria off my hands for a while. Damon and Benny had gone to visit some friends for a few days and Legolas, Billee and Legolas' family were in town. Jamie's siblings and relatives had gone to see some friends in Midgewood and Elrond, Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir were with Legolas, Billee and co. Colan had gone over to Wendy's. So it was just me, Sam, Merry and Pippin.  
  
We began to chat and Sam and I told the other two about how good life was.  
  
"Life's good, man. I can't believe it took Rosie getting pregnant and having a baby for me to realize that." said Sam, grinning slightly. We all laughed.  
  
"Well. I knew life was good when I first met Jamie. So that's my two cents worth of the conversation." I said, earning laughter from the others.  
  
"We all knew you were happy. You used to stop breathing when Jamie entered the room at High School." Merry said, grinning wickedly.  
  
"To be honest, I was going to ask her out for you, if you hadn't asked her yourself." Quipped Pippin.  
  
Guy talk. I sometimes did miss it. It felt good to catch up once in a while.  
  
(Jamie's POV)  
  
I walked out of the theatre with my arms wrapped around myself. I made my way down the corridor and toward the door. Kurt called after me.  
  
"Jamie. You're due to start work now! Where are you going?" I turned around. I think he could tell I was upset, because he stopped. "What's wrong, Jamie?"  
  
"Kurt." I said in a croaky voice. "Do you think you could get Diane to fill in for me today?"  
  
"Sure. What's wrong?"  
  
"I just feel sick." I said and sniffled a bit to sound convincing. He nodded.  
  
"You get yourself off home. I'll tell Elliot."  
  
"Thanks Kurt." I said and waked slowly toward the door.  
  
I walked up the path to Bag End, got my key out and opened the door. Frodo was there, dozing on the couch. He woke up when I shut the door and ran over to me.  
  
"Hey! What are you doing home so early?"  
  
"Frodo…" I said, tears springing into my eyes.  
  
"What is it, Jamie?" He asked worriedly.  
  
"The babies are dead…" I burst into tears as Frodo gasped. He pulled me into an embrace. I sobbed into his shoulder. "I-I was just s-so happy t- that the m-morning sickness had g-gone. H-how could I n-not have know, Frodo?"  
  
Frodo didn't have the answer. Emma came in and I burst into tears again. The whole thing poured out all over again and Frodo and Emma did what they had done so many times before, helped me and walked me up to bed. 


	82. Getting Away (Emma)

Life After High School  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, not ours! Not in any shape or form!  
  
Summary: Hell come on already! Surely you've read this far!  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
(Emma's POV)  
  
I felt sorry for Jaime, I really did. After all, I knew exactly what it was like to lose a child. But at least the doctor's believed that it was simply bad luck and she would be able to concieve again pretty quickly. I, on the other hand, would never be able to have another child. After I had given birth to Kane, they had given me an operation to ensure that I wouldn't get pregnant again. It makes sense, I mean I don't want Kane growing up without his mum, but it still hurt deep inside. I couldn't talk to Boromir, he was under the illusion that we could just forget about it and it would all go away. Billee had Colan to care for. Kane had me up most nights and I was completely exhausted. I knew that I was becoming depressed again, but it seemed like there was little I could do. It made me realise how much I depended on Damon and I waited impatiently for him to get back.  
  
  
  
Three days later, he did arrive back, along with Benny and a guy he introduced as 'Blaze'. They took me, Frodo, Billee, Boromir and Legolas into the living room and the true story of where they had been came out. Someone had broken into the thieves hideout, killing many of their numbers, releasing Jaime's father and leaving Lucas for dead.  
  
"Lucas wants us to hunt down the bloody killers" Damon said wearily. "So we'll stay for a couple of nights and then we have to go again"  
  
"Where?" Frodo asked. "And how long for?"  
  
"Don't know exactly where yet" Benny shrugged. "We'll call you. As for how long, well it depends doesn't it? Maybe a couple of weeks"  
  
  
  
The others accepted this without a word. They understood that it was best not to ask too many questions regarding Benny and Damon's work. However, at the first chance I could, I caught Damon alone.  
  
"I can't believe this" I sobbed as he held me in his arms. "I've been going mad here Damon. Everything is getting to me and I just feel trapped. I can't cope without you here, I just need to get away from everything"  
  
"Well" I could see that he was thinking. "I'll see what I can do" he promised, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. "Trust me"  
  
  
  
That night, when everyone else was asleep, Benny and Damon called me into their room.  
  
"Emma, you know you said that you needed to get away for a while" Damon asked. "Well, I spoke to Benny and he reckons that it wouldn't be particularly dangerous if you wanted to...come with us"  
  
"Of course" I muttered, completely lost for words. "But are you sure it will be safe? And how can I get out? You know that the others will stop me"  
  
"Yes, I am certain that you will be safe" Benny promised. "As for getting out, well we'll leaving tomorrow night, so just grab a few things and write a note telling them that you need to get away for a while but you will phone them"  
  
"Thank you" I threw my arms around them and hugged them both. "I think you have just saved my life"  
  
  
  
The next day, I did everything they told me. When Boromir's back was turned, I packed a few things for me and Kane and hid the bag in the stables. While Kane took an afternoon nap, I wrote three letters, one to Boromir, Billee and Jaime. I told them much the same thing, that I was confused and depressed and I needed to get away to clear my head. At the end I said that I wasn't sure where I was going so it was pointless of them to try and find me, but that I would contact them as soon as I could. I didn't actually put that I was going with Damon, Benny and Blaze, but I knew that Jaime would figure it out. That was the main reason why I was taking Kane. If Boromir and I spilt up, I knew that he and his parents would try to take Kane from me and I was not going to let that happen. Boromir could have more children if he met someone else, but I would never have that opportunity.  
  
I waited until the others were asleep, before putting the notes where I knew the others would find them. Then I put Kane into a sling and went outside where Benny had already saddled Flamedancer. Not looking back, we galloped away... 


	83. Jamie gets some surprises (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: I look into the mirror of Erised® and I see myself owning the LOTR Characters. If you don't know what the mirror of Erised is, I suggest you read Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone (Sorcerers Stone).

Summary: Gee, let me think. Nah can't tell ya.

*********************************************************************************************  
I stayed in bed for almost a week, just staring at the wall. Frodo came in to keep me company everyday. But I would either started sobbing as if my heart would break or I would just ignore him. I felt bad, really I did. I didn't mean to hurt him. Sometimes, I would yell at him and reduce him to tears. Frodo never cried. And that made me feel too guilty to even think about it.

One day, Benny came in to see me.

"Jamie, I'm really sorry for what happened. But I am afraid I have more bad   
news for you."

"What is that Benny? After this, I think nothing is as bad."

"Someone let your father go and left Lucas for dead." He looked worried.

"Who's the sonofabitch, I'll kill him!" I said, sitting up and glaring. 

Benny pushed me back down and told me to relax.

"We think it might be Randal and Gimli." He said, screwing his hands into tight fists. I was surprised. He never called his brother Randal. It was always Randy.

We talked for a bit more and when Benny left, I fell asleep crying. Why was   
life so hard?

About three days after that, Frodo came in and handed me a note. It was from   
Emma.

*Dear Jamie,  
I'm terribly sorry for all the misfortune you have come across in the past two weeks. Damon and Benny have asked me to go with them to find the assassins who broke into the hideout. I have taken Kane. Please don't be mad with me. I didn't know what else to do. You are the sister I never had, Jamie. I love you like family. I have written to Billee and Boromir and they know too. I don't know where we've gone, so don't try and follow us. See you another time,  
Luv, Emma.

PS. And for God's sakes get up and brush your goddamn teeth, because your   
breath stinks! :-)~ ES*

I had to laugh just a little at the PS. I guessed I'd better get up before I stink the entire room out. So for the first time in a week and a half, I got up, went to the bathroom, had a shower, brushed my teeth, combed my hair and freshened up and went down stairs.

Everyone was surprised when I came down. I smiled tentively at them and we all began to laugh. Colan and Wendy came from around the table and gave me a huge hug. Even Ria seemed happy to see her Mummy again. Billee and Boromir looked forlorn though, as much as I felt. But we all had a jolly good laugh and I silently wished Emma good luck. Even if she did love Damon more than Boromir, I didn't want to lose my best friend for good. Sure, I had Rosie and Blue and Arwen, but they just weren't the same as Emma and me.

A few days after I had made the surprise appearance, I got a surprise, myself. There was a knock at the door, and I answered it. In the doorway, there stood someone I hadn't seen since graduation of High School. Someone who had had a crush on my other best friend. It was Indigo Velona and her boyfriend Chris Manfeld.


	84. A Decision (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: I look into the mirror of Erised® and I see myself owning the LOTR

Characters. If you don't know what the mirror of Erised is, I suggest you read Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone (Sorcerers Stone).

Summary: Gee, let me think. Nah can't tell ya.

*********************************************************************************************

(Benny's POV)

Lucas had set the three, sorry four, of us up in a pretty decent hotel by the beach. We had two bedrooms, one with a double bed and a cot and one with two single beds. Quite a nice place actually, I liked it. Since it was off-season, there weren't many people around either, which was just perfect. 

As it turned out, our business wasn't that hard to finish. On our second day of asking around in the local taverns, we discovered that three guys had been in there only the night before, bragging about how they had taken down a whole thieving gang and rescued someone from the evil clutches of the leader. Although none of us recognized the description of the third man, the other two matched the descriptions of Gimli and my little brother Randal. Our suspicions had been correct. They had been working for our rival gang, The Black Dogs. Fitting name an all, I'll tell you that right now. The lot of them are completely evil, so it was no surprise that they had lowlifes like Gimli and Randy working for them.

Finding them was pretty easy. We asked around until we found out were they were staying and then one of us took turns to watch their every move. They obviously thought that they were in no danger because they seemed in no hurry to leave. We finally got them one night, while they were at the tavern. Gimli got up to go to the bathroom. I followed him and grabbed him round the neck just as he was coming out. He was so surprised that he didn't really have a chance to fight. He did struggle a bit, but when I tightened my arm around his windpipe, he thought better of it and gave up. Holding him firmly by the scruff of the neck, I dragged him outside, where Damon and Blaze were already waiting for me. Standing between them, Damon's knife at his throat was my little brother. He looked angry and sullen.

"What do you want with us?" he muttered. "We haven't done nothing wrong"

"Liar" Blaze said quickly. "We know you were the ones who broke into our headquarters. You nearly killed Lucas"

"Nearly?" Gimli sounded shocked. "But he was supposed to be dead. His injuries should have killed him"

"Lucas is stronger than you know" Damon said with a small smile. Gimli had just given himself away, not that he needed to, since we already knew that it was them. "We just want to ask you a few questions"

"No way" Gimli sounded frightened. "If we start talking, Davy will kill us"

"And if you don't talk" I said, shaking him roughly. "We'll kill you. So you aren't going to win either way. You knew when you joined the Black Dogs, Randy that you were going against me. That was pretty stupid of you"

"I just wanted to get even" Randy spat. "And maybe be better than you at something. You were always our parents favourite; in fact you were everyone's favourite. You were going to go to Medical School; you were going to become a doctor. You always did well and everybody liked you. You had a girlfriend and a child. And no one was happier than me when you lost them. I hate you Benny! I always have and I always will!"

"Good" I replied coldly, my voice trembling with anger. "Because I hate you too. And now you are going to talk or I will take great pleasure in killing you myself"

Damon pressed the knife closer to his neck, so that it was now biting into his skin. Randy gulped and looked at Gimli. The dwarf nodded.

"We'll talk," he said slowly, gasping in pain as I twisted his arm sharply. "But…please, give us enough gold to get out of here and go somewhere else. Otherwise they will kill us for sure"

"Cowards" Damon muttered, but he nodded his agreement. Blaze and I nodded too. Randy hesitated for a moment.

"What do you want to know?" he asked finally. "Just try to remember that I'm only following orders here, we don't know everything"

"When you set that man free," Damon asked quietly. "Someone hired you, did they not? Who was that person and what connection did he have with the Black Dogs?"

"And what did you do with him once you got him out?" Blaze asked quickly. "Lucas was particularly worried about that"

"I…" Gimli paused and it was obvious that he didn't want to go on, but he did. "We were to escort him to a ship and see him safely on board. I don't know where the ship was going…somewhere across the sea I think"

"The man who hired us" Randy took over. "I don't know his name, but the members who had been there longer than us all knew him. Apparently he often used their services and he paid them large amounts of money so the leaders were loyal to him. He didn't come to see us personally, so we can't give you a description. He just wanted help in setting his 'friend' free"

"We don't know any more, honestly" Gimli stammered. "Please…just let us go"

"Fine" I released my grip on Gimli and he stumbled away, rubbing his arm. Blaze took a bundle of notes out of his pocket and shoved them into Randy's hand, before letting him go. 

"Get the hell out of here" he warned. "If we ever see you around here again, we'll kill you. Which is nothing compared to what the Black Dogs will do to you"

Randy and Gimli gave us a frightened look and ran off into the night. I figured that we'd seen the back of them for quite a while, since not even they would be stupid enough to come back now.

"Well, at least Jaime's father has gone" Damon said exactly what I had been thinking. "And we know who was behind the attack to free him too"

"Who" Blaze sounded puzzled. "Do you know the man who paid the Black Dogs to work for him?"

"Unfortunately, yes" Damon said with a sigh. "It was Emma's father. No surprises there. Well, I guess that concludes our business. For the time being anyway. I need a drink, are you two coming?" Blaze nodded, but I shook my head.

"I think I'll go for a walk," I said. "Clear my head a bit. I'll see you guys later"

They nodded and I began to walk down the beach towards our hotel. I was nearly back when I saw Emma sitting on the sand, staring at the sea and rocking Kane in her arms. She didn't seem too happy, so I went over and sat beside her. She turned to look at me and gave ma a sort of half smile. 

"Are you all right?" I asked. She shook her head. "Well then" I said. "You want to talk about it? I'll just listen, I promise. And you never know, maybe I could give you some advice"

(Emma's POV)

I was kind of glad to see Benny. The break had done me good, I was able to think more clearly, but I still couldn't make the decision I knew that I needed to make. Whether to give everything up, possibly even my son, to be with Damon, or to marry Boromir. I needed help, I need someone to give me some honest advice, and I knew that Benny was the man to do that. 

At his encouragement, I told him everything. How I felt pressurised by Jaime and the others to marry Boromir and stop seeing Damon, how I couldn't choose between the two because I didn't want to hurt them and how I'd carried a torch for Damon since I was little more than a child. Benny listened quietly until I had finished talking.

"At the end of the day" he said finally. "You have to make a choice and you are going to hurt one of them either way. Now tell me honestly, if you had no responsibilities and weren't going to hurt anyone, who would you choose to be with then?"

"Damon" I said immediately, my voice trembling. "When I'm with him, especially these last few days, it just feels so natural, so normal. Like we belong together. But it isn't that simple is it? I love Damon so much. I can't even put into words how I feel when I'm with him, Benny. I want to be with him, I can't deny that any more. It's been such a relief being able to be with him these last few days and being able to show affection to each other and being able to sleep in the same bed and wake up with him beside me. But I'd hurt so many people…"

"Boromir"

"Yes" I paused for breath and then continued. "I don't love Boromir, Benny. Not like I should. He's a lovely man, he makes me laugh and he's great with Kane, but I just don't love him any more. I love him like a brother or a friend, but that's it. We haven't made love since before Kane was born, I just can't stand him touching me and he knows that something is wrong"

"So you don't love him and you don't find him sexually attractive any more, but you're still thinking about marrying him?"

"He's Kane's father, I've got to think of my son in all this," I pointed out. "Besides Boromir's given up so much to be with me. Not to mention that he's stuck with me through some of the darkest times in my life. I really don't want to hurt him. Not after all we've been through together. And I'm scared that if I leave him, he and his parents will take Kane from me. I'd live with Randy and Gimli if it meant I could stay with my son"

"I understand how trapped you feel, with Kane and everything" Benny said slowly. "When I lived with my ex-wife, she used to be very abusive towards me. Physically, I mean" He must have seen my surprise, because he shrugged and gave a small smile. "I know," he continued after a moment. "I was bigger than her and I could have hurt her, but I never did. I never once raised my hand to her. I could have left her, but in the end it was her who left me. I stayed for my daughter, but when Lana left me, she stopped me seeing Galia. I haven't seen her in nearly three years"

"Benny, I'm sorry"

"It's alright. I've come to accept it now, but it still feels like a part of me is missing sometimes" He stopped and gazed thoughtfully out over the ocean for a while. "You see my problem," he said finally. "Is that Lucas comes first with me. It's part of the job. You have to leave and do things at a moments notice, all other plans have to take second place. And what sort of woman is going to put up with that? Not many, that's for sure. By the way" he added, turning to me. "The only people who know about Lana being abusive towards me are Lucas and the other gang members. Could you please not mention it to anyone? Even Jamie?"

"I promise" I agreed at once. "I won't say a word"

"Damon is going to be hurt, you know" Benny went on. "If you marry Boromir. He doesn't have much left in life to live for and he really loves you. He'd treat you well and he'd look on Kane as his own. But I think you've already made your choice, haven't you?"

"I have," I whispered, a tear running down my cheek. "When we go back, I have to give up Damon for good and marry Boromir. No matter how much it hurts, it's for the best"

Telling Damon that I was marrying Boromir was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life. He didn't seem to take it too badly, but I sensed that he was only putting on a brave face for my sake.

"It's your decision," he said. "Benny and I, we'll see you home and then go back to Silverwood for a while. It'll probably be for the best, give us some time apart from each other"

I agreed and that was it. He made no effort to try and get me to change my mind, not because he wanted me to marry Boromir, but because he loved me so much that he respected my decision. We had one last night together before we left to ride back to Hobbiton and most of that was spent just clinging to each other, not saying a word. We knew that it would be the last time we could do this and we were determined to make the most of the little time we had left. 

The next morning, he and Benny left me by the lake, not far from Bag End. I kissed them, Benny on the cheek, Damon on the mouth. Benny told me to give his love to Jaime and tell her that he would call her soon. Damon said nothing, but I could see unshed tears glistening behind his eyes. I knew how he felt, I wanted to cry too, but I didn't. I was determined to be strong.

Holding my bag in one hand and Kane in the other, I walked forward, not looking back. I didn't stop until I had reached Bag End. Slowly I raised my hand and knocked on the door… 


	85. Surprises (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet. By Risty Maskell and Silver15 Disclaimer: I look into the mirror of Erised® and I see myself owning the LOTR Characters. If you don't know what the mirror of Erised is, I suggest you read Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone (Sorcerers Stone). Summary: Gee.let me think.nah, can't tell ya. **************************************************************************** ***************** Chris and Indigo had only stayed a little while. About a week after I had the surprise of finding them on the doorstep, I was teaching Ria how to walk. I think she was going to grow up a little speed hog, because she was learning fast and walking very well. There was a knock at the door. Since no one else was home, I decided to answer it. Frodo was with Sam, Merry, Pippin, Billee, Legolas, Boromir and few others, working on some project at the Green Dragon Inn. Rosie had gotten a job there and the others were at the park with Colan and Wendy. When I finally got to the door, because Ria had wanted to walk, I opened it to find Emma and Kane. I squealed and threw my arms around her neck. She hugged me too. I felt my should get wet and I could tell she had burst into tears.  
  
After we had calmed down, we had gone into the kitchen and made a pot of tea. "What made you come back?" I asked as I placed a bowl of strawberries and banana in front of Ria, who managed to get it all over her face in five seconds flat. "I've decided to marry Boromir." Replied Emma, making my jaw drop in surprise. "Don't get me wrong, Emma, I'm really happy for you to make that decision, but what happened to you and Damon?" "I don't know. Maybe my heart just told me it was wrong." "Well, I am happy for you. I have nothing against Damon, but I didn't really like him that much. I don't know why." "Really? Is that why you were so pissed off?" "Maybe. C'mon. Let's go to the park to see the others. Colan and Wendy have been practicing a little dance routine for when you came back." "A dance routine?" "Yeah with Max and Dawn and Casey and Zeke and Jackie." "What are they doing?" "My old man's a dustman." "Cute." "that's what I said."  
  
We got to the park with Casper and Laddie and the little puppy that Bilbo had gotten Ria, Starlet and Elrond, Arwen and Aragorn were there watching the kids perform. Elrond was the first to spot us coming through the gate and he motioned for the kids to stop the act. I giggled. "Hey Elrond. Are they perfect yet? Should I go get everyone from The Green Dragon?" "I think so." Said Elrond, smiling as he gave Emma a hug. "I'll go then. See you in a few minutes." I raced off, leaving Ria in the sand pit. I got to the Inn and found Boromir, Billee, Legolas, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Elladan and Elrohir all sitting having some ale. I rolled my eyes and went over to the table. Rosie was there too. "hey guys. Elrond wants you all to go to the park." I said when I reached the table and gave Frodo a quick kiss. "Rosie, where's Benjamin?" "He's under the care of Mum." She said smiling. I knew she was meaning Mrs. Gamgee, her mother had died when she was very small. I smiled. "Well are you blokes coming or not?"  
  
The boys all got up, Rosie took her break and we all went back to the park to watch the performance of the little kids. 


	86. Things go wrong...as usual (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: I look into the mirror of Erised® and I see myself owning the LOTR Characters. If you don't know what the mirror of Erised is, I suggest you read Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone (Sorcerers Stone).

Summary: Gee, let me think. Nah can't tell ya.

*********************************************************************************************      

(Emma's POV)

Everyone was really glad that I was back, Billee especially. I gathered that he had been having some problems with Elladan and Elrohir. Apparently the twins didn't think much of their new brothers and made no real secret of it. Elrond hadn't noticed and Billee had told no one except Legolas. When I heard, I felt guilty for going away and leaving him to cope on his own, but he assured me that, apart from being a little depressed, he was holding up fine. 

Boromir was also pleased to be reunited with both Kane and me. As I watched him with Kane on our first day at home, I believed that I had made the right choice, at least for Kane. But that did not stop me feeling sick as he tried to kiss me. When he asked what the matter was, I told him that I was just tired. He was very understanding, even offering to take Kane so that I could go back to Bag End and get some rest. I declined and then broke the news that I wanted to marry him as soon as possible. As I expected, he was a little surprised, but thrilled all the same. I somehow believed that once I was married to Boromir, I would be able to forget about Damon. That's what I was hoping anyway.

Although we had not set a definite date, Jaime and I started making plans immediately. Or should I say Jaime made most of the plans. She was far more excited about the wedding than I could even pretend to be. She did most of the planning and organising and I just went along with it, giving a half-hearted suggestion here and there. If anyone asked what was wrong, I just said that it was wedding nerves. It wasn't a lie, not really. I was nervous, so nervous in fact that I started throwing up in the mornings. Since I got up much earlier than anyone else, in order to avoid sharing a bed with Boromir for longer than I had to, no one found out for a couple of weeks. Until one morning Billee got up and found me throwing up. When I had finished, he took me downstairs and made me a drink, before suddenly turning very serious.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked. I shrugged.

"A couple of weeks" I replied. "Since I came back, I guess. I figure it's wedding nerves."

"No I think it could be more than that," Billee said quietly. "Emma, I know this is pretty unlikely, but do you think there is any chance that you could be…pregnant."

"No way" I said quickly. A little too quickly. "They gave me that operation after Kane was born. Remember? So I wouldn't have any more children."

"I know" Billee said quietly. "But although it is very reliable, there is still a small chance it could fail. Benny told me that himself and he knows what he's talking about. I think you should go and have a check-up. Just in case."

"Billee" I reached across and took his hand. "I'll do it. But I want you to do two things for me."

"Anything."

"First, I want you to come with me. And second, I don't want you to mention this to anyone, not even Legolas. Because if I am pregnant, Billee, I am in one hell of a mess."

"Want to tell me about it?" he asked gently. "You can trust me, you know that."

"I've been sleeping with Damon," I blurted out. "Since Christmas. And I haven't slept with Boromir since Kane was born. So if I am pregnant, Boromir is going to know that it isn't his."

"Shit"

"I know. And now I've made the decision to marry Boromir, for Kane's sake, and stop seeing Damon. But this will spoil everything."

"I think the most important thing is to find out if you are pregnant before we start panicking" Billee pointed out logically. "Because we may be worrying about nothing. If you aren't, then we have nothing to worry about. If you are, well then we are in trouble. But let's find out first, okay?"

"Okay." I agreed. "I'll make an appointment as soon as possible. Thanks Billee."

The doctor told me that he could see me in three days time. Billee and I slipped out, telling the others that we were going for a walk. No one had any reason to suspect anything. We were able to go in almost immediately and he asked me some questions and then did a scan. Then gave me the answer I had been dreading. The operation had failed. I was in big trouble. 

The doctor must have seen that I was shocked, because instead of warning me about the dangers and so on, he told me to take some time to think about what I wanted to do and come back and see him in a week or so. 

When we got outside, Billee put his arm around me and we started to walk home. I was in a daze, I couldn't think straight. 

"What am I going to do?" I asked him. "How can I explain this?"

"Don't say anything," Billee said immediately. "I won't mention it to anyone and hopefully no one will guess. After all, according to them, you can't have any more kids. Then a couple of months after you get married, tell Boromir that you got drunk one night while you were away, that it was a one-off, a mistake. You know that he'll forgive you."

"Perhaps" I agreed. I needed more time to think about it. This changed a lot of things and I didn't want to rush into any decisions. Unfortunately as soon as we got back, Jaime was waiting for us, a big smile on her face. 

"It's all arranged," she said happily. "You are really getting married, Emma. Two weeks today. Boromir sorted it this afternoon."

I forced a smile as I looked at Billee, who looked very worried. There was nothing I could say, I had said that I wanted to get married as soon as possible and to back out now would look suspicious. So I accepted Jaime's hug, gave Boromir a kiss on the cheek and generally acted like I was looking forward to it. But deep down, I wasn't. Not one little bit…


	87. A Friend in deed helps a friend in need ...

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet. By Risty Maskell and Silver15 Disclaimer: to J. R. R. Tolkien: That is sooo unfair! I hate you! (audience: Think Kevin and Perry Go Large) Summary: Geez. do I have to? **************************************************************************** ***************** As I hugged Emma, I knew she wasn't happy. She was just pretending. She and Billee had been for a little walk somewhere. I decided to talk to her later. I didn't want Boromir worried. We went into the kitchen and Benny, who was sitting at the table, let off a piercing wolf-whistle. Elrond, Arwen, Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir began to clap and everyone else laughed and clapped. I could see Emma was folding under the pressure. "Hold it guys! You're scaring the Bride-to-be!" I called. Frodo came over and put an arm around my waist. As the cheering and applause died down, I saw Elladan and Elrohir give Billee a reproachful look. I knew what was going on, so did Elrond and Arwen. But no one dared do anything about it, because last time, Elrohir had gone absolutely nuts and gone at Billee with a kitchen knife. No one knew why. But it had been very frightening. Especially for little Colan, who had gone to stay at Wendy and Blue's for a couple of days.  
  
Later, when everyone was doing their own thing, Emma and I went down to the creek. A memory surfaced in my mind. It was of the first day of the school year in year twelve.  
  
*** "Hi guys, how were your holidays?" I had asked. "Do you mean on average, or when I fell into the creek behind our place in Hobbiton?" asked Blue.  
  
***  
  
I laughed at the memory. Then I told Emma, she managed to smile. "Emma. I can tell you're worried about something. I'll leave it up to you whether you want to tell me or not, I think I did enough damage last year." I winced at the memory of me jumping out of the closet. That had not been good. "I know I can trust you, Jamie. But I'm just really scared you'll get up me or something." Emma said after about two minutes of silence. I dappled my foot in the water. A fish swam out of the way. "What do you mean?" "I.I'm pregnant, Jamie." I felt my eyes go wide. My jaw dropped open and I stared at the fish for a second. All I can tell you it was a trout. "B-but you had that o-operation when you had Kane." "It failed. That's where I went with Billee this afternoon. I went to the doctors." "Oh Emma. I'll always be there for you. And so will Billee. You know that. But this is Damon's baby, isn't it?" Emma nodded guiltily. "Yes." "What did Billee say?" "He said I could explain it away as the result of a one night stand." "You do have another option." "What's that?" "Abortion." "What!?" "Well. Hit me if I'm wrong. But you hardly seem the type to get drunk and climb into bed with some macho asshole from Rohan or somewhere. " "Your right. But I dunno Jamie. What do I do?" "Hey, don't look at me. It's your choice. But I will help you. If you want it." 


	88. The Truth Comes Out (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet. 

By Risty Maskell and Silver15 

Disclaimer: to J. R. R. Tolkien: That is sooo unfair! I hate you! (audience: Think Kevin and Perry Go Large) 

Summary: Geez. do I have to?

*********************************************************************************************

(Emma's POV)

I thought a lot about what Jaime had said in the next two or three days. Abortion seemed the logical choice; after all I'd barely survived giving birth to Kane. I'd be endangering myself again if I went ahead with the pregnancy. And yet it did not seem right somehow. I had never believed in abortion and neither had my family. If my mother had believed in it, I wouldn't be alive and that is a scary thought. It was not an option.

I told only Elrond and Legolas that I was pregnant. I did not tell them that the child wasn't Boromir's; that was between me, Jaime and Billee. I did however ask them not to say anything to anyone else until I had decided what I wanted to do. They agreed.

Although she didn't push me on the topic, I got the feeling that Jaime wanted me to have an abortion. It was logical I suppose, to go into a marriage I was unsure about with a baby that wasn't my husbands, would cause all sorts of problems. 

Billee, Legolas and Elrond were not so keen to force their opinions forward. They all said that I should do whatever I thought was best, but Elrond did stress that I should listen to the doctor's warnings. 

In the end, I made my decision. I would go through with the pregnancy. I dreaded telling Boromir, Billee and I had decided that it would be best to tell him after the wedding and that day was drawing nearer and nearer. I couldn't face getting married, but I didn't want to hurt Boromir or Kane. I was trapped and there was little I could do about it. Almost everything was organised now and there was no turning back. I kept Kane close to me at all times, just to remind me that I was not doing this for myself, I was doing it for my son. And what I had said to Benny was the truth; I would live anywhere as long as I had him with me.

(Benny's POV)

It was late when I finished working in the bar and when Bernard told me that there was a phone call for me, I was tempted to ignore it. However, I don't generally get many calls and I figured that it was probably important. It was. I didn't know the caller, all I could say was it was a young male and from the information he gave me, was probably working in medicine. It's possible that he was disguising his voice, I don't know. What he said shocked me to the core. If he was speaking the truth, a lot of things could change, perhaps for the better.

When he hung up, I said goodnight to Bernard and hurried home. Damon was as I had left him, unwashed, unshaven, with a beer bottle in his hand. He had been like that since we had arrived back at Silverwood and no amount of coaxing could get him to talk. I was very worried about him, I'd seen him in some pretty bad states of depression in the past, but this one was the worst yet by far. For half a second, I wondered if I should tell him what I had been told, then decided that if it was the truth he had a right to know.

"Damon" I said quietly. "Somebody called me when I was at work. They…they told me something." 

"What?"

"The operation we performed on Emma after the birth of Kane. It…it failed, Damon."

"You mean…" he looked at me and I saw a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes. I nodded.

"If she was speaking the truth when she said she had not had sex with Boromir since the birth of Kane" I said quietly. "Then that means she is carrying your child. And you know what that means?"

"Go on."

"If she chooses to go through with it, despite the risks" I told him. "Then for the baby's sake, there is no reason why she could not choose you over Boromir. After all, the child has a right to know it's real father."

"I…I never thought of that," he admitted. "But how do we know that it is the truth?"

"Call Emma" I urged him. "Ask her. She can be the only one who knows for certain."

He took my advice. Despite it being late, he called them. It was only a few seconds before someone picked up the phone.

"Hello" he said clearly. "Jaime, its Damon. Can I speak to Emma…" His voice trailed off and I knew without asking that she had hung up on him. He narrowed his eyes and hurled the receiver at the wall.

"How can I find out if they won't let me talk to her?" he asked angrily. "All she has ever wanted to do is keep us apart and it appears that she has finally succeeded."

"No she hasn't," I said, a plan beginning to form in my mind. "Go to bed now and get some sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, tidy yourself up, all right? You need to look smart."

"What are you planning?" he asked suspiciously. I laughed.

"Just leave it to me" I said, patting him on the back. "Just leave it to me."

Where were we going? To the person we always went to when things got bad. To see Lucas and to ask for his help.


	89. Staying Up At Night - Again (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is it Scary? You Bet.  
  
Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: I hate you! This is sooo unfair! I hate-hate-hate you!  
  
Summary: Ahh to hell with it. You've read this far.  
  
It was late at night when the phone rang. Everyone was in bed - except me. I couldn't sleep. Funny how you can't sleep when you are worried about people. I remembered the first time Frodo kissed me. I had been worrying about Emma. Hell, when do I not worry about Emma? Never. The phone rang. I had been sitting on the couch, watching a silent flickering TV play a late night movie. Not a very interesting one, mind you.  
  
I picked up the phone and held it to my ear.  
  
"Hello, Jamie speaking."  
  
"Hi Jamie, it's Damon. Can I speak to -"  
  
"You have a lot of nerve calling here you know."  
  
And I hung up on him. I stared at the TV for a little while longer when Emma came down stairs.  
  
"I heard the phone ring. Anyone important?"  
  
"No." I lied. "Just some asshole telemarketer. Don't see why the hell their ringing this late."  
  
Emma sat down and looked at the TV. "What are you watching?"  
  
"I have no idea. I think it's 'Dracula', the version with Gary Oldman. But I dunno."  
  
We kept silent for a little while longer. Finally I turned to her.  
  
"So, are you going to abort this pregnancy?"  
  
Emma shook her head. I nodded, understanding. When I had let fly that idea, I had forgotten that her family didn't believe in abortion.  
  
"you could adopt the child out. But you wouldn't know who it was going to. I dunno. Your kid, your choice. But I'm willing to help. All I'm saying is, you'd better think quick because your wedding is next week." Emma looked panicky. "Please don't remind me."  
  
"Sorry. Oh, guess what? I haven't told Frodo, but your my best friend."  
  
"Jamie just spill the beans."  
  
"How is it you are sounding more and more like me, the loud mouth hobbit, every day?"  
  
"Practice."  
  
"You scare me at the most weird of times, you know that?"  
  
"I try very very hard."  
  
"Fine. I went in for that weekly check up with Elliot. Yesterday. After work. And it turns out I'm pregnant again."  
  
"Oh, Jamie, that's really great."  
  
There was a small noise in the kitchen. We both got up to see what it was. I let out a breath. It was only Starlet. That puppy has been a ball of rocketing fur from the start. She's so adorable - when her eyes are closed. Ria seemed to love her. Nights like this are weird. They seem to be the dreariest nights ever, and yet they turn out all right. Emma and I went up to bed. 


	90. More surprises and plans (Emma

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet. 

By Risty Maskell and Silver15 

Disclaimer: to J. R. R. Tolkien: That is sooo unfair! I hate you! (audience: Think Kevin and Perry Go Large) 

Summary: Geez. do I have to?

*********************************************************************************************

(Benny's POV)

Damon and I got up early the next morning and, after speaking to my boss, we began the ride to Gondor. It was supposed to take about a day and a half, but our horses were fresh and we got there just about ten o'clock in the evening. Young Blaze was waiting for us at the doors.

"Hey guys" he called, raising his hand in greeting. "I was wondering when you would get here. Lucas is waiting downstairs. Oh, and you have a visitor, Benny."

"Who?" I asked, puzzled. But Blaze just shook his head. Realising that I would never get anything out of him when he was in this sort of mood, I sent him down to Lucas to tell him that we had arrived. Then Damon and I stabled the horses and went down to the hideout. 

When I opened the door, I had the biggest shock of my life. Sitting in a chair beside Lucas was none other than my four-year-old daughter Galia. The daughter I hadn't seen for nearly three years. But she looked a right mess. She was pale, her hair was tangled and she was dressed in rags. Not only that, but her face was bruised and she looked half starved. If Damon hadn't put his arm around my shoulders to support me, I probably would have fallen over in shock. Then Lucas looked up and saw us. It only took him half a second to jump out of his chair and start hugging the life out of us. Galia just looked at us shyly. She didn't know who I was and I hated Lana for keeping us apart like she had. In doing so, she had not only hurt me, she had also hurt our daughter…

"How did she…?" I couldn't finish my sentence. I was just so overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn't think of anything else to say. 

Lucas sat back in his chair and gestured to us to take a seat. Blaze, who had been in the room the whole time, sat down too.

"Blaze found her wandering the streets early this morning" Lucas told us. "He took one look at her and brought her back here to me. We tried to call you but Bernard told us that you were coming here so we waited. There's no sign of Lana."

"She is not having Galia back," I said firmly. "Look at the poor kid. Has she told you what happened to her?"

"She hasn't spoken a word since I found her" Blaze said quietly. "Dunno whether it's because she's scared or what."

"Galia" I stood up and walked around to where she was sitting. "Galia, do you know who I am?"

"Are you…?" she said quietly, then hesitated. "Are you my real daddy?"

I nodded, too choked up to say anything. Galia held out her arms and I lifted her up. She flung her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.

"Don't let mummy take me way again, daddy," she whispered. "Please?"

"No one is going to take you anywhere" I reassured her. "You are safe now. I promise."

I didn't ask her to tell me what had happened. Not then. The poor kid was upset enough as it was and besides, I already had a fairly good idea. Still holding her close, I sat back down next to Damon. She eyed him suspiciously.

"Who is that, daddy?" she asked. "He won't hurt me, will he?"

"No, he won't hurt you" I told her. "This is Damon. He's my friend."

"Oh" she said quietly, and fell silent. After a moment, she rested her head against my chest and brought her thumb up to her mouth. Lucas smiled at me.

"Well then" he said. "I'm glad that we have dealt with one thing. Benny if Lana causes you any trouble I will do everything in my power to help you. Galia isn't going back there, even if I have to murder Lana myself."

"Thanks Lucas"

"And now then, what can I do for you Damon?" he asked. "You have a problem I assume?"

With my help, Damon explained everything. How he loved Emma more than anything, but she had chosen Boromir for the sake of her son and about the phone call I had received the night before.

"She doesn't want to go through with this wedding" Damon explained. "I'm certain of that. And now that she is carrying my child, I figure that evens the odds between Boromir and myself. But there is just one problem…"

"Go on."

"They won't let me talk to her. I tried ringing her last night, just to find out if our mystery caller was telling the truth, and Jaime hung up on me. They are trying to keep us apart, I know it. And so far they are doing a pretty good job of it."

"They?"

"All of them. Well, I don't know about Legolas and Billee or that Elrond, but certainly the rest of them. They don't like me, that's what it is. And they all want her to marry Boromir and forget about me. She's trapped." He put his head in his hands and sighed. "If only I could talk to her."

"Why don't you go down there?" Blaze suggested. Damon shook his head.

"It would only cause a major scene," he pointed out. "And on my own, I would have no chance."

"That is why we came to you" I interrupted. "Could you let us have a couple of men to go down there with? I don't want anyone to get hurt or killed, just a few people on hand to be on our side, so to speak."

"I see" Lucas looked thoughtful. "Exactly when is this wedding taking place?"

"Six days time" Blaze said at once. "In Hobbiton."

"I shall come with you" Lucas told us. "With Forrest and Blaze. It'll take a day or two for me to arrange some cover, but if it is a three day ride, we can still get there the day before the wedding."

"Thanks Lucas" Damon smiled. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Well there is something you can do for me in return" Lucas informed us. "I have a proposal for you…"

Two days later, the five of us set out. Galia had been left with one of the other thieves who had promised to take good care of her and not let anyone see her, no matter what their excuse. 

Damon did not have much of a plan really. He did not want to hurt anyone, or cause any trouble, but he was determined to talk to Emma and he knew that time was running out. First he was going to go to Jaime's house and trying to talk the hotheaded hobbit girl around, although we both knew that she wouldn't let him in. If that failed, he was prepared to go to other lengths…I just hoped for his sake that he knew what he was doing.

(Emma's POV) 

My wedding day drew nearer and nearer and Jaime grew more and more annoying. She would not leave me alone for a moment. I couldn't go out by myself, someone always had to be with me, I couldn't be alone in the house and whenever the telephone rang, she always managed to get there first. I was curious as to why, but one evening, about four days before the wedding, I overheard a conversation between her and Frodo. She told him that Damon had rung her wanting to talk to me and that she had hung up on him. Counting back, I realised that it had been the night she had told me that she was pregnant again. Which meant that she had lied to me. She didn't ask if I had wanted to speak to Damon or anything, she had just hung up on him. 

Although I did not confront her, I still felt bitter about it. If I could not trust my best friend, whom the hell could I trust? Apart from Billee and Legolas, who were too wrapped up in Colan, and Elrond, who was having trouble with his sons, there was only one person…

I went upstairs and put Kane in his cot. Then I took out the kitchen knife from under my pillow and went into the bathroom with it. I had not harmed myself since Kane was born, but I needed to do it now more than ever. Especially to cope with another betrayal from Jaime of all people…


	91. Explanations and an old friend (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet. By Risty Maskell and Silver15 Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Summary: Geez.what ever you reckon.  
  
I was telling Frodo about the phone call I had gotten from Damon. "He's just so annoying. I don't know what to do." "Maybe you should just let him see Emma. What could happen?" I gave my husband that 'You-know-perfectly-well-what-would-happen' look. He sighed. I heard a small noise outside in the hall. So I crept out just in time to see Emma's slippered foot going up the stairs. I groaned. She must have heard every word I said.  
  
I went into the lounge where Billee, Boromir, Legolas and Elrond were sitting, watching 'Back to the Future'. I quietly told them that Emma was upset and I needed help. They got up without so much as a complaint, turned off the movie and walked upstairs. I knocked on the door. "Emma? Are you in there?" "Go Away!!" "Emma, please, let me explain." "What is there to explain?! You lied to me. Again!" The four guys looked at me in ursion and I shook my head and opened the door. Emma sat there with a kitchen knife. I gasped. She hadn't cut herself in ages and yet, here she was getting ready to cut her whole arm off. "Emma! Put the knife down, please!" "Why?" she asked coldly. "Because if you cut yourself again, you are going to have to go to hospital. And I know you don't like that." "You lied to me, Jamie. I think you need to go to the hospital." "I know you heard, Emma, so, let me or one of the guys talk to you. At least come downstairs. Besides," I said, closing the doors with a nod of my head as the guys waited outside. "I think you need to tell Boromir. You can't keep this secret forever." Emma paled. "He will stop loving me." "He won't. He will understand. Tink about it. Tell me on one occasion that Boromir has left your side, without you asking him to, since you met him last year." Emma thought. "I can't. But that doesn't mean there will be a time." "And you really think that he will. It was a simple mistake. We all make them." With that, Emma dropped the knife and walked slowly out of the room with me.  
  
***  
  
About two days later, (three days before the wedding), there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, I got the shock of my life. "Jandimara! Is that really you?" I exclaimed, as I hugged my friend hard. She smiled and the faint scars around her face stretched a little. Her arms and legs were wrinkled with scar tissue. But that didn't stop her wearing shorts and a short sleeved top. "Everybody, except Elrond, of course, this is Jandimara. She was one of my good friends in grade eight." Elrond got up, smiling and hugged Jandi. "Hello Jandimara. It's been a long time." "Yes. It has, Elrond. It's nice to see you again." Emma smiled at her. "I'm sorry, I don't remember you." I groaned inwardly. I had forgotten that Emma or Billee didn't know that I had been kept down a year. I had told Baz and Jake not to tell anyone because it made me feel like a dunce. When I finally explained the situation, Emma and Billee looked quite surprised. By the look Emma was giving Jandimara, I could tell she wanted to ask where she had gotten the scars. "If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the scars from?" asked Billee, jumping in ahead of Emma. Jandi scrunched up her nose, thinking. "When I was in year eight, about half way through the year, I was playing tiggy with my friends, the bell rang and that's when the man poured petrol on me and set me alight. I had to run and Elrond came and tried to put me out. That's when the ambulance came." She said, holding back tears. "They gave me a gas and I went to sleep, and that's all I remember. The first thing I do remember was when Jaime here came in and read her card to me and that's when I first opened up my eyes." I could tell everyone had gone silent in shock. Even Elladan and Elrohir, being the rowdy kids they are. Jandimara had buried her head in her hands and began to cry. I put an arm around the human and comforted her. Through my entire life, people have called me a hot-headed hobbit girl. Just goes to show if you look beneath the surface once in a while, that you'll find a lot more than you bargained for. 


	92. Trouble (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet. 

By Risty Maskell and Silver15 

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. 

Summary: Geez, whatever you reckon.

************************************************************************

(Damon's POV)

We arrived in Hobbiton the day before the wedding. We hadn't wanted to draw too much attention to ourselves, but luckily everyone was too busy talking about the next day. We managed to get two rooms in the inn, although with some difficulty since they were almost full. But when Lucas waved a handful of notes under the innkeepers nose, he set us up immediately. Benny and I were in one room and Lucas, Blaze and Forrest were in the other. They were quite nice rooms as well; Lucas always manages to get the best of everything. 

"So what are you going to do?" Benny asked me as he kicked off his boots and stretched out on his bed. "You do have some sort of plan or something, right?"

"This evening" I told him. "Blaze found out that the guys are going out to celebrate and Emma and Jaime are having a few of their female friends round. You know, like Blue and Rosie and Arwen. I figure that would be a good time to go over there."

"You really think she'll let you see Emma?" Benny asked. I shook my head.

"I strongly doubt it," I told him. "But I have to try. And time is running out…but no matter what happens, I am not letting her get away this time. I can't."

"There are other girls, Damon" Benny said gently. "Maybe you should let go of her and move on."

"I can't believe that she'll marry Boromir tomorrow" I said, taking no notice of what he had just said. "I don't think she will be able to go through with it, no matter what the others say. But whether she does or does not, I have to try. I have to take one last shot."

"I understand" Benny got up and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "And I wish you the best of luck, my friend. For her sake as well as yours."

That night, I crept to Bag End under the cover of darkness and hid in the bushes not far from the front door, waiting for my chance. I saw the other girls arriving with their partners and I saw the guys leave for their night out. I caught a brief glimpse of Emma as she came to the door with Kane to see Boromir off. She looked terrible, really depressed and really tired. I think she looked worried too, but it was quite hard to tell. One thing was certain though, she wasn't happy. I noticed, much to my satisfaction, that when Boromir went to kiss her, she turned her head away, just allowing his lips to brush her cheek. That proved that my suspicions were correct.

I waited for a few minutes until the girls had gone inside, and then went to the door. I paused for a moment, unsure of whether I was doing the right thing. But realising that there was nothing else I could do, I raised my hand and banged hard on the door. 

"I'll get it" I heard Jaime call out, and a minute later the door was opened. As soon as she saw me, she tried to slam it shut, but I put my foot in the way and kept it held open.

"You are not welcome here," she hissed. "Get lost or there'll be trouble."

"Is something the matter, Jamie?" I heard Emma call from upstairs. Jamie glared at me for a moment and I knew then that she really did hate me. In her eyes, Emma and Boromir would still be happy if I hadn't come back. However, the hobbit girl covered up well.

"No, nothing is the matter" she called back, keeping her voice steady. "Don't you worry about it." That said she turned back to me. In the living room, one of the girls had turned the TV up so she knew that they wouldn't hear us.

"You aren't wanted here," she said angrily. "Why don't you just go away and leave us all alone? Emma would have been much better off it you had never come back. You are a loser, Damon and that is all you'll ever be. Boromir is worth ten of you."

I am not proud of what I did next, but I lost my temper. After so long of being without Emma, all my anger and frustration had come to the surface and Jamie's words pushed me over the edge. I picked her up by the collar and slammed her hard against the wall.

"You listen to me for a minute Jaime Shadow" I growled. "You are a selfish little bitch, that is all you are. A selfish little bitch that needs to damn well learn to stay out of other people's business. You have no right to keep Emma away from me, if she doesn't wish to see me then that is her decision, not yours."

Jaime was crying by then and that brought me back to reality. I let go of her and she collapsed in a heap on the hallway floor. As I backed away out of the front door, she looked up at me, her face streaked with tears. I could see both fear and hate in her eyes and I felt guilty. I hadn't meant to lose my temper and I hadn't meant to hurt her. She had just annoyed me so much, but that was no excuse, I knew that. Quickly, before she had the chance to call for anyone, I walked out and gently shut the front door behind me.

I had only walked a little way when I heard a very familiar voice calling my name. I stood up just as Emma came into view. She hesitated for a moment, then ran over to me and threw her arms around my neck. I hugged her tightly; I'd almost forgotten how right it felt to hold her in my arms. 

"I heard you came to the house," she said after a minute. I nodded.

"I'm sorry about Jaime," I whispered. "I just lost my temper. Is she going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine" Emma said quickly. "Damon, there's something I have to tell you…"

"You're pregnant" I interrupted. "And it's my child."

"Yes" All the colour drained from her face as she untangled herself from my embrace. "How did you know?"

"Some mystery caller rang Benny and told him that the operation had failed," I said with a shrug. "We put two and two together and came up with four. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to keep it" Emma took a deep breath. "And I'm going ahead with the wedding tomorrow. There's nothing I can do, it's far to late to back out now and it wouldn't be fair on Boromir or Kane if I did. I have no wish to lose my son. Honestly Damon, that is the only reason I am going through with this."

"There are other ways, Em," I told her. "Lucas has decided to go away from Gondor, set up a new thieving base somewhere where not many people know him. He's asked me and Benny to go with him. You could come too, you and Kane. It could be a new start for us, away from all this."

"I would come with you immediately if I could" Emma said sadly. "But things aren't that simple, are they?" Gently she kissed me on the cheek and stepped away. "I will always love you, Damon," she whispered. "Forever. Please forgive me."

"I love you too," I whispered, wiping away a single tear from my cheek with the back of my hand. "No one can take that away from me."

"I had better get back" Emma said, her voice shaking. "Jaime still thinks I'm upstairs putting Kane to bed. She's upset enough as it is and she will kill me if she finds out where I have been. Goodbye, my love."

I stood there and watched as the woman I loved walked away from me. I could think of nothing to say to stop her going. However, just once she looked back at me and she seemed to be pleading with me. 'I don't want to do this' she seemed to be saying. 'Help me Damon, give me the courage to tell everyone the truth'. And as she disappeared from sight, an idea began to form in my mind. Considering what I had done to Jaime and everything, I would be taking a huge risk, but it was the only thing left to do. All I needed to do was return to the inn and tell the others about my plan…

A/N: Hey Risty, sorry about that. But I figured that Damon was going to crack sooner or later and he and Jamie have never actually got on well, so it was bond to happen sooner or later. Anyway, my next chapter will be the wedding, okay? And of course weddings never run smoothly. I have a couple of major surprises in store for many of the characters.


	93. More and more shocks (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.  
  
Summary: Geez, whatever you reckon.  
  
************************************************************************ I swear, when I saw Damon at the door, I just cracked. I called him a loser and he grabbed me by the collar and slammed me against the wall. The shock of it made me gasp and I coughed up blood, because I had bitten my tongue. I began to cry tears of shock, rage and I felt like just grabbing the cane from the umbrella rack next to the door and bringing down on that rats head. Jandimara came out, because I think she heard me slam the wall. She ran to me.  
  
"Oh my god, Jamie. Are you okay? What happened?" I couldn't answer. "How many fingers am I holding up?" she asked, holding four fingers in front of her.  
  
"F-four." I stammered and Jandi helped me up and led me into the lounge. She gave me her handkerchief to wipe my mouth. I was still a little shaky, but I was okay. There was a knock at the door and Emma went to answer it.  
  
"Hi Rosie, Arwen, Blue. Hello Mrs. Gamgee. Come on in." I heard her say. She led the women inside. She saw me with Jandi and stood wide eyed.  
  
"Jamie, what happened?"  
  
"Nothing. I just knocked myself in the face when I went to shut the door. That's all."  
  
Jandimara was looking at me. She knew I was lying. When I went into the kitchen to get the nibbles and stuff, she came and helped me, while Emma and the others settled down with Moulin Rouge on the TV.  
  
"What really happened, Jamie. You can tell me, I won't tell a soul."  
  
"I can't, Jandi. I can't."  
  
"Jamie. Just tell me. It'll be okay."  
  
"Emma's.Emma's old boyfriend came and went over the edge. I called him a loser and he went psycho."  
  
"What did this guy look like?" Jandi asked, looking worried. I gave her a description of Damon. Jandi looked like she was about to faint.  
  
"Oh. My. God." She whispered.  
  
"What, Jandi?" I asked.  
  
"When I was in the eighth grade, that day, when I was playing tiggy with my sister and a couple of my friends, you were in the library, studying algebra with Benny Hockey, so you could pass your exams. I was taking a breather. And I saw this guy standing underneath a tree. I was about twenty meters away but I got a good look at him. I was up running around again, having a ball and the bell rang, and then that guy advanced on me and got me drenched in petrol before lighting me up like a roman candle on the fourth of July. The description of the man that you just told of. It matched that of the guy who did that to me. But I'm not sure about the eyes. But I think they were green. Like Damon's. Ever since, I've wanted to find out who that bastard was. And why he did that to me. And now I think I've found him."  
  
I know I gasped and hugged Jandi like there was no tomorrow. I knew 'the man' had done this to Jandi because she was black. She had a different colour skin to the rest of us, that was why someone had done this to her. But never once had I thought about what the man looked like. Not once. It came as quite a shock and as Jandi began to cry, I held her tight and cried too.  
  
  
  
A/N: YEAH! I bet you wasn't expecting that!!!! Err.sorry, for doing that to one of your characters Silver. I just had my ass kicked by my next door neighbor at poker. Damn. 


	94. The Wedding (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Summary: Geez, whatever you reckon.

************************************************************************

(Emma's POV)

I couldn't sleep that night. I had Kane in bed with us and he was snuggled up between me and Boromir, giving us another excuse not to make love that night, and I was scared off squashing him, but I knew that wasn't the only reason. Wedding nerves, Jaime would say, but it was a lot more than that. All night long I went over the reasons for marrying Boromir in my head and as the dawn came, I finally figured something out. I wasn't marrying him because I wanted to; I was doing it for everyone else. So he wouldn't be upset, so Kane could have a better life, so everyone wouldn't hate me for breaking Boromir's heart. Boromir was a kind man and I owed him a lot, but I just couldn't love him. However, I couldn't say anything. Not now. Besides, I didn't have the faintest idea of what to say.

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, I got out of bed and put on my dressing gown. Kane opened his eyes and looked up at me so I picked him up and we went downstairs and sat in the living room. I was still sitting up when Jamie came down about two hours later. 

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked with a yawn. "Too excited, I bet"

"Something like that" Somehow I managed to give her a small smile. She must have seen that something was wrong because she came over and sat beside me.

"You know that you're doing the right thing, don't you?" she said quietly. "Boromir is a good man and he loves you very much. Plus he can give Kane and your new baby a stable upbringing."

"I know," I said weakly. "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to be alone for a while."

"Of course" Jaime patted my hand and smiled at me. "I think I can hear Frodo getting up. I had better go and make him a cup of tea."

The morning passed quickly, there was so much to be done. I hadn't wanted a great big thing and only my friends had been invited. Jamie and Rosie were my bridesmaids, Wendy was my flowergirl, Colan was the pageboy and Billee and Legolas were groomsmen. The ceremony was being held in the town hall in the early afternoon so by the time everyone had woken up, it had turned into a major rush to get ready. 

We got there in the end however, to find the priest awaiting our arrival. Boromir already stood there, looking very nervous. When the others had taken their seats, we made our way slowly down the aisle. First me, on Elrond's arm, then Jaime, who was holding Kane, and Rosie, then Wendy and Colan, Billee and Legolas and finally Laddie and Sol-leks who had decided that they were not going to be left out of the fun. We must have looked quite a sight as we made our way down that aisle, I tell you. 

I stood beside Boromir and forced a smile as he brushed his lips against mine. Then we both turned to the priest and he began to talk. I forced myself to listen, although I wished that he would just hurry up and get to the point. 

"Do any amongst you" he addressed our guests. "Know of any reason why these two should not be wed? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I do" A familiar voice shattered the silence. Everyone, including Boromir and I turned round. Damon stood at the hall door, although he was not alone. Benny, Lucas, Blaze and another guy who I didn't recognise, stood just behind him. Our eyes met and my heart gave a leap.

"Don't do it, Emma," he said. "Please."

"What the hell has it got to do with you?" Frodo yelled out. I already knew what Damon was going to say, before he had even said it.

"Because I love her," he said quietly. "And because she loves me."

"No" Boromir shook his head. "No she doesn't. Tell him Emma."

"I can't" I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. "Boromir, I've been sleeping with him since Christmas. I…I'm carrying his child."

"It doesn't matter" Boromir sounded upset but he tried hard not to show it. "We can work it out. Just tell him to get lost. Tell him you don't love him."

"Boromir, I'm so sorry" I turned and walked away from him. "I can't. And I can't go through with all this. I'm…I'm really sorry."

I didn't stop walking until I was at Damon's side. He put his arm around me and gave me a quick kiss before standing to face Boromir and Jaime.

"She made her choice," he said coldly. "I knew she would. You all pushed her, but that didn't stop her loving me."

"I'll kill you" Boromir growled and tried to run forward. However, Aragorn and Frodo held him back. Billee and Legolas stepped to my side, supporting me in my decision as they always did. Elrond took Colan and Wendy and led them outside. 

Except for Billee and Legolas, everyone seemed to be on Boromir's side. They gathered around him, glaring at me and Damon. All except Jaime. She stood between us, still holding my baby. I could see that she was torn. She had her two best friends on one side and her husband, family and most of her friends on the other. I also knew how much she hated Damon so I didn't believe that I could count on her being co-operative. Nevertheless, I knew I had to try. 

"Jaime" I said my voice trembling. "Please, give Kane to me."

"Don't give him to her, Jaime." Boromir told her. "She isn't taking my son."

"Let her have the kid" Damon intervened. "He needs his mum."

"What the hell has it got to do with you, you son of a bitch?!" Aragorn called out, his fists clenched. "Stay out of it."

"Don't insult his mother" Benny stepped forward. "Or I swear there will be bits of you all over this hall!"

"Let Boromir have him, Jaime!" Stacey called out. "You can't let the kid be raised by a whore! What kind of values will she teach him?"

"How dare you!" Billee spat. "Emma's knickers come off a damn sight less than yours. Stacey the slut, I believe everyone calls you behind your back."

"Don't you worry, Boromir" Tracey shot me a look of complete disgust. "You could do so much better than her."

The tension was mounting and I knew that no matter what side Jaime gave Kane to, it was going to come to blows. Jaime knew that too, she held Kane tightly and looked from one group to the other. Would she have pity on me, being a mother herself, and forget her hatred of Damon just for a moment. Because I could tell that she thought that Damon was dangerous. I don't know why, but she did. Perhaps she was right, but I knew that he would never harm me or Kane and I would never put my baby in danger. Or would she give the baby to Boromir, which was what her husband and family wanted her to do. They had all turned against me for doing what I thought was the right thing. Would they turn against her for doing the same? I knew that all this was going through Jaime's head as we all waited silently, the guys and some of the girls with their fists ready, to see who she would choose to give Kane too. 


	95. Confession (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.  
  
Summary: Geez, whatever you reckon.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
There was silence around me, as I held Kane. What was I to do? Let Emma have the child and have my family and Boromir hate me for the rest of my life? Or give the child to Boromir and have all my friends hate me? I stared helplessly at the two groups. I opened my mouth but not a sound came out.  
  
"Don't do it, Jamie, you know what he'll do." Came a voice.  
  
"Jandimara!" I cried, hugging her scarred body. "What am I to do?"  
  
"Don't give the child to Damon's side," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "You know what he did to me. And now that I see him, I know for sure it was him."  
  
Damon scoffed. "What did I do to you? Black girl?"  
  
Jandi bristled like an angry cat. "Do you want me to tell everyone that it was you, who burnt me seven years ago?"  
  
Damon turned white as a sheet. The whole room seemed to gasp. All eyes looked at Damon. Emma looked terrified.  
  
"WHAT?!" she practically yelled. "YOU did that to her?"  
  
"N-no. She's lying! I don't even know her!"  
  
"Oh but you do. Don't you remember watching me play with my friends and sister and when the bell rang, you came over, dumped petrol on me and lit me with the cigarette you were holding?" Jandimara asked, hate glinted in her eyes.  
  
Everyone, including Emma, Billee and Legolas were looking at Damon in shock.  
  
"Then you ran back to your hiding place, while Elrond tried to put me out, and later, you befriended Benny, and told him you were just an innocent bystander? Didn't you?"  
  
I looked at Emma then Damon, then Emma again. She was looking at me, pleading me to say it wasn't true.  
  
"It's true, Emma. Jandimara told me last night. I'm sorry."  
  
"Emma, just think of what he did to me. Think of what he could do to you, and your son, if you stay with him. I don't want to see you get hurt. He might look sincere. But believe me. He isn't. He'll use you and then he go look for another woman to satisfy his needs."  
  
Benny, Lucas, Blaze and Forrest held Damon. Jandimara marched up to Damon and held up a piece of torn cloth. It matched the pattern of Damon's shirt exactly.  
  
"Do you remember me holding on to your shirt and tearing it, Damon? Do you remember running for your life when Elrond came out and tried to put me out? Do you remember all of this? I don't want to see my friends or my friend's friends get hurt. Admit it."  
  
"Okay! All right!" Damon yelled, crumbling under pressure. "I have a grudge against Black people, okay?! Happy?! I was there that day, and watching you play chase or tiggy or whatever you called it, And I had the petrol tank. I lit you up! Okay!? I hate you all! I love Emma! Emma please believe me!"  
  
Emma looked at him with a mixture of love and hate. She began to move slowly toward me and Kane. Billee and Legolas did the same. Boromir, who had been listening to all of this, looked completely shocked. I sat down in the middle of the floor and held Kane closer to me. Ria waddled toward me and sat in my lap. I held her and I held Kane and I cried. By golly, I cried my heart out. I hated keeping secrets and lies from my friends. It just wasn't right. 


	96. Things come to a head (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.  
  
Summary: Geez, whatever you reckon.  
  
**************************************************************************** * (Benny's POV)  
  
Although the evidence seemed to be against Damon, I did not believe, for one minute, that he had done it and I could see that Lucas and the boys thought the same. Even Emma and Billee, although they were slightly uncertain, wanted to believe in him. I could see it in their eyes. I know that he had admitted it, but there were too many things that didn't add up. Damon doesn't smoke so he would not have been wandering around with cigarettes, and even though he has never actually told anyone, he is petrified of fire so I could hardly see him setting someone alight. The big one however, was that despite what he had said, Damon has no real problem with black people. Bernard, the guy who runs the Silverwood tavern, was black and they had always got on great. Something didn't add up. Emma was looking at me, pleading with me to say something that would make it better. I could, and I had to. I wasn't going to have them thinking of Damon like that.  
  
"Do you think he did it?" I asked her and Billee. Jaime started to say something and I glared at her. "Well" I asked again. "What do you think?"  
  
"No" Billee shook his head. "I've known Damon since we were both children and I.I can't believe that the guy who was best friends with Marcus for years would do something like this."  
  
"I don't want to believe it either" Emma whispered. "Billee is right. We know him better than anyone else in this room and he is not a monster."  
  
She looked from Jaime to Damon and I knew that she was struggling to take in everything that had been said. Finally she made her choice. Stepping back to Damon's side, she took his hand and held it tightly. I knew what she was saying, she didn't believe that he had done it, but even if he had, it made no difference to her feelings for him. Jaime and her friend looked completely shocked and betrayed. I had to say something now, before it was too late.  
  
"He's covering up for someone," I said to Lucas. He nodded.  
  
"I suspected as much," he said. "But who?"  
  
"I recognise him" Jaime's friend shrieked. "I'm not a liar!"  
  
"No one says that you are," I said calmly. "I just think that you might have made a little mistake, that's all. Damon?"  
  
"No comment"  
  
"You're lying when you say that you hate black people," I said loudly, so that the rest of the room could hear. "You are afraid of fire and you don't have a habit of carrying cigarettes around with you. But I know that there is someone who once did all of those things. And we both know that not only did he look so like you that many people thought you were twins, but that he had a really nasty streak and that he could always persuade you to lie for him."  
  
"Who?" Billee began, and then suddenly understood. "Jon. Your younger brother, Jonnie."  
  
"Was it Jon, Damon?" Lucas asked gently. "Did your brother do this? Did he ask you to cover up for him?"  
  
"You are lying!" Jaime shrieked. "Emma, don't listen to them! Please! We care about you!"  
  
"Jon loved fire," Damon said absently. "He loved it, even when we were kids. He liked burning things. And he always said that one day he wanted to burn a person. Just to see what would happen."  
  
"I remember him saying that" Billee said slowly. "He could be quite frightening sometimes."  
  
"I never thought that he would actually do it" Damon continued. "But then when I was fifteen, I came home from work and he was sitting there smirking to himself. He looked up and said, "I did it". I asked what the hell he was on about and he told me what he had done. I was horrified, but what could I do? He was my brother and he was all I really had. He would have gone away for that, and I wasn't going to let that happen. So we just disappeared for a couple of weeks and when we came back it had all died down. But I always swore that I would protect my brother, even if he didn't deserve it."  
  
The people on Boromir's side began muttering amongst themselves. I knew that some of them were half beginning to believe him. Jandimara and Jaime weren't convinced however, nor were Boromir and Frodo.  
  
"I believe Jandimara" Frodo yelled across the hall. "Why should we believe anything you say?"  
  
"I don't give a damn whether you believe me or not" Damon said quietly. "Lucas, Benny, Billee and Emma believe me and they are the only people here who I really care about. The rest of you can go and burn in hell for all I care. I don't have to explain myself to any of you and I won't."  
  
"It really was Jon?" Emma asked him, her voice barely more than a whisper. "It doesn't change my feelings for you, Damon, but I need to know the truth."  
  
"It was Jon" Damon said with a sigh. "And don't I half feel guilty for betraying him, even if he is gone."  
  
"You have nothing to feel ashamed of" Emma said gently. "We believe you, don't we Billee?"  
  
"Yes" Billee nodded and Legolas followed suit. Jaime glared at us and I noticed Blaze make an offensive gesture to them.  
  
"Next time," he yelled out. "Why don't you damn well make sure you've got your facts straight before you start humiliating people who have done nothing wrong? I bet this was just another plot to try and spilt Emma and Damon up. Don't you people have any life to speak of?"  
  
"That is enough, Blaze" Lucas said sharply. "I think we had better go," he told Damon and me quietly. "If we stay here, it is going to come to blows."  
  
I looked at the others. He was right. Jaime was still crying and so was her friend. The other girls were trying to comfort them, glaring at us as they did. Elrond's sons, Boromir, Frodo, Aragorn, Baz and Jake had their fists clenched and looked ready for a fight.  
  
"I am not going without Kane" Emma said fiercely. "Jaime, give him to me."  
  
"My son is not going anywhere with him" Boromir yelled back. "He's dangerous and I won't risk him hurting Kane."  
  
"And you really think I would go with someone who I thought would harm him?" Emma spat. "Kane means more to me than life and I would never put him in danger."  
  
"Then prove it" Boromir took a step nearer. "Tell him to get lost. Come back to me. We can forget this ever happened."  
  
"I'm sorry" Emma shook her head. "It wouldn't work. I don't love you."  
  
"You did once," he pleaded. "We could make it work."  
  
"Stop being so pathetic" Forrest spoke for the first time. "She doesn't want you, she wants him. Accept it and move on."  
  
"Stay out of this" Aragorn spat. "It's got nothing to do with you, you good for nothing thief."  
  
"Aragorn, please" Boromir said quietly. "Tell me Emma, did you ever really love me? What does he have that I haven't got?"  
  
"Boromir" Emma spoke gently but firmly. Slowly she began to move towards the centre of the hall where he, Jandimara and Jaime and Jaime were standing with Kane. "I'll be honest, but you aren't going to like it. The truth is, maybe I did love you once, but a part of me has always loved Damon. Ever since I was a child."  
  
"How bloody touching" someone muttered. Emma took no notice.  
  
"As for what he does," she said quietly. "He listens to me, talks to me, and makes me feel like I'm actually worth something. He doesn't just try to tell me that everything will be okay when he knows I want more than that. And he's.he's."  
  
"He's what?" Boromir narrowed his eyes and glared at Damon dangerously. Emma continued walking slowly towards Jaime and I suddenly realised what she was going to do.  
  
"She's going to say that he's a better lover," Blaze yelled out suddenly and I turned to glare at him. "Not that I'm surprised. No woman has ever walked away complaining after spending a night with Damon. Face it Boromir, you never had a chance of competing with him."  
  
"I'm going to kill that bastard!" Boromir roared and suddenly all hell broke loose. Elladan and Elrohir went directly for Billee and Legolas, Aragorn went for Forrest, Baz went for Lucas, Jake came for me and Frodo went for Blaze. Boromir of course, went for Damon. His fist raised, he swung at my friend and caught him straight in the mouth, knocking Damon clean off his feet. He landed on the floor by was soon up on his feet again, this time ready to defend. Apart from Forrest and Blaze, who were really going for their attackers, we just dodged and blocked their blows. Even Damon wouldn't throw a punch. We didn't want to hurt anyone, all we wanted was to get Kane and get the hell out of there.  
  
  
  
(Emma's POV)  
  
I was scared when the fighting started. None of the guys on Jaime's side had much fighting experience and I knew that Lucas and his gang could kill them if they wanted to. However, at that moment, my first priority was Kane. I was directly in front of Jaime now, although she was holding Kane tightly to her chest so that I couldn't grab him back.  
  
"Jaime, please" I whispered. "Give Kane to me. I can't live without my son, you know that. Imagine if someone was trying to take Ria away from you. How would you feel?"  
  
"Emma, I am so sorry" she said quietly. "But this is for the best."  
  
I just stared at her, my brain racing. Until then I had kind of felt sorry for her, after all she had once been great friends with Benny and Lucas and now they were fighting on my side, along with Billee. She had lost all of her good friends in just a short space of time. But she was not having my baby.  
  
"Okay then" I said quietly, a plan beginning to form in my mind. "But let me give him one last kiss"  
  
She nodded, trusting me completely. As I moved forward and gently leaned towards my son, I brought my foot up and kicked her in the shin. As she yelled in confusion, I tore Kane from her arms. Jandimara came forward to try and get him, so I gripped him tightly with one hand and used my free hand to smack her across the face.  
  
"Damon!" I yelled. "I've got him!"  
  
"Then let's get out of here!" he said. Shoving Boromir backwards, so hard that he fell over, he came hurrying over and took my arm. Billee and Legolas had already darted through the door. Blaze, Lucas and Benny came over and crowded around me. The others backed away scowling, realising that it was useless. All except Aragorn who would not leave Forrest alone. Suddenly Aragorn gave a yell and stumbled away from us, clutching his side. When he took his hand away, it was covered in blood. Lucas looked at Forrest, who had a blood-covered knife in his hand, and raised his eyebrows.  
  
"I didn't stab him hard" the thief protested. "He just would not leave me alone. He'll be fine, but maybe he'll think twice about messing with a thief again."  
  
"Come on, let's just go" Lucas said quickly. "Before there is any more trouble. By the way Emma, Jaime was such a great friend there, wasn't she?"  
  
"Yeah" Benny said, giving her a look of disgust. "I can tolerate anyone except people who turn against their closest friends when they are supposed to be supportive. Seems like Emma's the one who could do better."  
  
With them still surrounding me, we headed to the door. In the doorway, I looked round at the people who had once been my friends. Arwen, Rosie and Blue were huddled around Aragorn, muttering sympathetic words. Boromir had slumped to the floor, his head in his hands, Frodo was trying to stop the nose bleed Blaze had given him and Jamie and Jandimara were trying to comfort Boromir.  
  
"I just want to say," I said loudly. "That I never want to see any of you again. Especially you, Jaime Shadow. Damon's right, you can all go and burn in hell for all I care."  
  
They all stood in silence as we walked out. Billee, Legolas, Wendy, Colan and Elrond were waiting outside for us. Elrond put Colan down and gave Kane and me a hug.  
  
"I don't want to take sides in this one" he whispered in my ear. "But don't blame yourself for this mess. If you really didn't love Boromir, you did the right thing."  
  
"I think we had better think about heading back to Rivendell, dad," Billee said quietly. "Jaime won't throw me and Legolas out while you are with us, but I get the feeling that we aren't going to be too popular for standing by Emma. I don't want any trouble."  
  
"All right then" Elrond agreed. "We'll get our stuff sorted this evening and leave sometime tomorrow. Will you be staying at the inn, Emma?"  
  
"Yes" I nodded. "We'll be there."  
  
"Then we'll come and see you before we go" Billee promised. "Do you want me and Legolas to pack yours and Kane's stuff and bring it over to you?"  
  
"That would be great" I gave him a small smile. "I don't think that it would be a good idea for me to go there." Slowly, I slipped the engagement ring off my finger. "And would you give Boromir his ring back?" I asked. "And tell him that I am really sorry."  
  
"I will try," he promised. "I'll see you tomorrow at the inn."  
  
"See you" Damon said with a nod. "Thanks for everything. You have a heart of gold, just like Marcus. He would have been proud of you for not going along with the crowd, for doing your own thing."  
  
"There was nothing else we could have done" Legolas said firmly. "We were glad to help."  
  
Before the others could come out of the hall, we went our separate ways, Billee and the others went back to Bag End to begin their packing and we went back to the inn. As we walked, Damon and I fell slightly behind the others so that we could talk privately.  
  
"I'm sorry for coming in like that," Damon told me. "I honestly didn't want to cause any trouble, it's just the thought of you being married to Boromir was killing me. I couldn't let you go through with it, knowing that you weren't really happy. I."  
  
"Damon" I interrupted. "I am really glad you did. It was horrible in there, especially when Jaime refused to give me Kane, but it was worth it."  
  
"Really?" Damon did not look quite convinced. "You've lost most of your friends because of me, including Jaime. They all hate us and they think I am some sort of monster just because I stuck up for Jon. Can you honestly say that you have no regrets?"  
  
"Yes, I can" I said at once. "I have no regrets. Those people in there, well they aren't my friends if they can't be happy for me. Boromir I can understand, but not the others. Billee and Legolas are true friends because they stood up for us, so I do still have some friends left. Honestly, if I could go back in time, knowing what would happen, I would still have chosen you. I love you, Damon."  
  
"And I love you" He pulled me to him and kissed me gently. In the distance we could hear Kane shouting out garbled words that made no sense and Benny talking back to him in a quiet voice. I knew he was safe with Benny, despite the fact that he had known Jaime longer he, like Lucas, had still chosen to stick with us and I was glad of that. I had absolutely no regrets. 


	97. An Aunt and Two Old Friends (Jaime)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.  
  
Summary: Geez, whatever you reckon.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
When Emma and all the rest left, I crouched and bawled my eyes out. I  
  
couldn't believe it. My best friend had chosen lust over her best friend  
  
ever. And what's more, she told me to burn in Hell. Frodo and Jandimara held  
  
me close and rocked me back and forth. For all I knew, Jandimara was my best  
  
friend now.  
  
Later, when I was back at home, I just lay on my bed and cried. I cried so  
  
hard, I had to rush to the bathroom to throw up. That little bitch never  
  
wanted me as a best friend. My leg hurt so much where Emma had kicked me. I  
  
lay back on my bed and began to cry again. I felt a familiar presence appear  
  
out of thin air next to me. I knew without looking around that it was Mark's  
  
spirit. He put a ghostly hand on my shoulder.  
  
"Hey, Little Sister. What's the matter? You are crying so hard I can hear  
  
you in Heaven."  
  
I began to tell him everything. He looked shocked at the things I said about  
  
Benny and Lucas. His two best friends. I bet he thought they would at least  
  
help me. And he looked especially mad when I told him about Emma, betraying  
  
me. He stayed for a little while longer before disappearing, promising to  
  
scare the living bejesus out of his two former best friends.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
When I finally came downstairs, I found Frodo, Jandimara, Stacey, Tracey,  
  
Baz, and the rest of my family sitting around the table, looking miserable.  
  
I wandered through to the lounge and saw Boromir holding a beer bottle in  
  
his hand, drinking himself into oblivion. I went out the front door and sat  
  
on the tyer swing, looking out into the distance. I heard a little sob from  
  
behind the tree, I looked around and saw Wendy, sitting there, crying. I sat  
  
next to her and put her in my lap.  
  
"Colan's gone." She said and flung her arms around my neck. She began to cry  
  
into my shoulder. I just held her. All the crying was out of me. Suddenly, I  
  
got up, still holding the child, I led her to the tyer swing and put her on  
  
it. Then I rushed to where Winsome stood, I saddled her and galloped away  
  
toward Lothlorien. Only one person could help me now, and that was Lotti, my  
  
aunt. I rode like the wind and in four hours, I had made it to the outskirts  
  
of Rohan. Lotti, had run away when she was young, away from my mothers  
  
parents. They had been deranged. She had run to Lorien, to get help from  
  
elves. At least full elves could be trusted, not those ratty half elves. The  
  
only half elves I trusted now, were Kivan and Ranger Silverblade. They were  
  
Emma's brothers. They had never come to our school. I knew they lived in  
  
Lorien as well. I could visit them.  
  
Another four hours past and I got to Lothlorien. I got off my beautiful  
  
horse and led her quietly towards the main part of the forest. There was a  
  
bark behind me, I whirled around and found that Frodo had followed me,  
  
bringing Casper and Starlet and my little girl with him. I smiled.  
  
"What are you doing here?" I asked, and Frodo smiled, handing Ria over to  
  
me.  
  
"I couldn't let you go alone. I knew you were going somewhere because Wendy  
  
came and tattled." He smiled again. "I know what happened yesterday was  
  
terrible, and it shouldn't have happened. Why did you come to Lorien?"  
  
"I came to see my aunt and two old friends, who I know for sure won't betray  
  
me."  
  
"Who are you and what is your business in Lorien?" came a voice. I turned. I  
  
saw a blonde elf. I held my little girl.  
  
"I am Jamita Olesse Baggins. I came to see my aunt, Lotti Drefail."  
  
"And I am Dergon, guard of Lorien. I will take you to Lotti myself, she is  
  
very well known in Lorien."  
  
"Thank you, Dergon."  
  
Dergon led the way to Lotti's house in the trees. She hugged me when she saw  
  
me.  
  
"Jamie! How good of you to visit. Why are you here?"  
  
I told her of everything that had come to pass during the last two days.  
  
Lotti looked shocked, then sad, then angry. "I think we should call Kivan  
  
and Ranger, what do you think, I don't think that they will be to pleased  
  
with their little sister."  
  
I nodded. Lotti went out to the stair well that lead back down to the  
  
ground. She let a shrill whistle pass through her fingers and in five  
  
minutes, both Kivan and Ranger had sped up the stairs. They saw me and  
  
grinned.  
  
"Jamie! How good to see you again." They both gave me a hug and listened  
  
over a cup of coffee at what their little sister had done. I swear, I have  
  
never seen either of them look so angry, shocked or bewildered. I told of  
  
my brother's ghost telling me what he would do.  
  
Ranger spoke up after a while. "Well, we can't really do anything. For one  
  
thing, we don't know where she's gone and for another, if she doesn't like  
  
you anymore, who says she'll like her own family. I know dad was an asshole,  
  
but that's beyond the point. I never really like Damon or his family. They  
  
always were no hopers."  
  
Kivan agreed. "There is nothing we can do. Maybe she'll come around in time.  
  
But who knows. She can hate people for years on end. Billee and this  
  
Legolas, I don't know about."  
  
I pulled out the photo album I had in the saddle bag. I looked at all the  
  
photos of us all, including the year twelve class photo. I sighed. When I  
  
came to the photo of Billee, Me, Emma and Elrond all together, I couldn't  
  
help but cry. 


	98. Two Big Surprises (Emma)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Summary: Geez, whatever you reckon.

*********************************************************************

(Emma's POV)

Billee did as he had promised. The next morning, the three elves and Colan brought Kane's belongings and mine over to the inn. Apparently Jaime and Frodo had completely disappeared, Boromir was really upset and so was everyone else. That made me feel really bad, I hadn't wanted to hurt anyone I had just fallen in love. If people could not accept it, then I didn't want anything to do with them.

Billee and the others couldn't stay long since they wanted to get to Rivendell as quickly as possible. Lucas told Elrond that if it were all right, we would stop by there for a few days. He agreed and I was glad. I needed to spend some time with Billee; after all he was the one person who really understood me. Billee told me that he was going to give Jaime a few days to cool down before he tried to contact her again, but he had given Elrond's address and phone number to Blue so that Wendy could still contact Colan. I was glad that he had done that, after all Wendy was the one really friend that Colan did have and none of us wanted them to lose touch. 

We stood there and waved to them as they rode away. We would be following them after spending one more night at the inn. As we watched them, we saw Baz walking along the road not far away from us. He saw us and glared. I knew that it would be a long time before any of them forgave us. But it would be even longer before I forgave Jaime for trying to take Kane away. I had meant what I had said. Her and me were finished for good; I wanted nothing more to do with her.

****************

The next day we set out early and began the ride to Rivendell. After spending two nights in Bree, we arrived there in the late afternoon on the third day. Elrond did his best to make us all feel welcome, even Blaze and Forrest. I guess he must have known that most of us felt bad about how things had turned out. At least Damon, Benny and I did. Lucas hadn't played much of a part and I think both Forrest and Blaze secretly enjoyed it, even if they wouldn't admit it. In any case, he found us rooms and told us that providing we weren't intending to do any more fighting, we were welcome to stay as long as we liked. Lucas said that we could probably stay about a week if we liked.

That evening, Billee, Legolas and I went for a walk around and talked about how things had turned out. Neither of them really wanted to take sides, but they fully supported my decision. I had nothing to feel guilty about, they told me. If I felt that I had done the right thing, then that was all that mattered. In one of the downstairs rooms, I could see Lucas, Benny, Elrond and Damon discussing something. Billee looked over my shoulder.

"I wonder what they are talking about" he said thoughtfully. "Shall we go and see?"

"Yes, let's go" Legolas agreed. "If they are plotting how to murder Jaime or something, then I want to know about it."

Quickly we hurried down and knocked on the door. Benny opened it and his eyes lit up when he saw me.

"We were just talking about you, Emma," he said with a smile. "Come in you three."

We went in and sat down. I was very curious to find out what was going on. I didn't have to wait long. Damon sat beside me and took my hand.

"Emma" he said quietly. "I love you very much and I am so lucky that you chose me over Boromir. Everything that we went through to be together has only made my love for you stronger. And I was just wondering…would you marry me? While we're in Rivendell, I mean. They can do it in four days time, the day before we leave."

I sat in silence for a moment, trying to take it all in. However, I had no doubts about my answer.

"Yes" I said in delight, flinging my arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "Yes, I will marry you."

******************

The planning started the next day. It was not going to be a major thing, just the actual ceremony and a small celebration. As for people, well everyone who I actually wanted to be there was already in Rivendell. All except two…

As soon as I had a few minutes to myself, I slipped off to Elrond's office and picked up the phone. With my hand trembling, I dialled a number and listened to it ringing. It was answered on the fourth ring. A very familiar voice said hello.

"Kivan" I said quietly. "It's Emma."

"Hello little sister" he greeted. "It's been a while hasn't it?"

"I'm sorry," I told him. "I've been busy."

"So I've heard" he drawled, his tone not particularly unfriendly but not very friendly either. "Had a visit from Jaime the day before yesterday."

"Jaime" For a second or two I was lost for words. "Is she still there?"

"Yes, she's staying with her aunt" his tone dropped. "Emma, what happened?"

"It's a very long story Kivan." I said softly. "Jaime wanted me to marry Boromir, but I just couldn't. I didn't love him and I was so scared of ending up like mum. But Jaime…when the fight broke out, she had Kane and she wouldn't give him back. She wouldn't give him back, Kivan. I was so afraid…" I trailed off, afraid that I was going to cry.

"Emma" Kivan sounded worried. "Are you still there? Listen, she didn't tell me that. I'm sorry. I don't really want to take sides in this…but do you want us to come down and see you?"

"We're getting married in four days," I told him. "Damon and I. I'd really like it if you were there, if you could give us your blessing. Please say that you'll come."

"I'll leave tonight," he promised. "Ranger…well I believe I can talk him into it, but I can't promise anything. I'll do my best. And then you can tell me your side of the story, all right?"

"Thank you," I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my sleeve. "I love you Kivan."

"I love you too, little sister" he replied. "See you soon."

I replaced the phone and as I did, tears of relief slid down my face. When times got tough, I knew that I could always rely on Kivan.


	99. Nightmares and Surprises (Jamie)

Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.  
  
By Risty Maskell and Silver15  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.  
  
Summary: Geez, whatever you reckon.  
  
**************************************************************************** *************************  
  
Aunt Lotti knew I was hurt inside, and she didn't question anymore. I slept restlessly on the bed in the small guest room, with Frodo. I tossed and turned and a dream surfaced in my mind.  
  
***  
  
It was the horrible wedding again. I didn't want to live through it again, but it looked like I had to. There I stood, holding Kane. Such a sweet little boy. I had always hoped that he and Ria would grow up together. Looked like I was wrong. Damon objected to the wedding and Emma moved to him. But what was this? Me running out of the church, holding Kane for dear life. Kane shouted out garbled words that I couldn't understand. And soon, Benny was chasing me down. He grabbed the child away from me and stopped me, pressing a knife to my throat. I tried to scream, but he stopped me, saying if I screamed, he'd kill me. He led me back to the group, the knife still at my neck. He handed Emma the child and grinned evilly. Emma nodded and the last thing I felt was pain slicing my neck.  
  
***  
  
I must have screamed because Lotti and Frodo were shaking me away and trying to reassure me it was a nightmare. I trembled so much I couldn't think straight. Lotti led me to the kitchen table in the next room and sat me down. Ria toddled toward me, she must have woken up when she heard me scream. She placed her hand on my knee to steady herself and looked up at me with big innocent blue eyes. I picked her up and hugged her tight.  
  
  
  
"Kivan, when you go, tell Emma, I'm really sorry and I shouldn't have meddled with her life. I feel like a right dope." I said. Kivan had just told us about the phone call he had received.  
  
"You didn't tell me you tried to keep Kane from her." He said.  
  
"I thought it wasn't important. I know Me and Emma are over as friends. But please tell her that I'm really sorry."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Thank you. Kivan, you're a great friend."  
  
"I try hard."  
  
Later, after Kivan and Ranger had left, Lotti was bouncing Ria on her knee, I was drinking coffee, which I only drink when I'm tense and Frodo was just holding my hand. Ria got down off Lotti's knee and toddle over to me. I picked her up and held her face to face. She put her hands on either side of my face, and it seemed like she was looking into my eyes.  
  
"Mummy." Was all she said and it took about ten seconds for the realisation to sink in. Frodo and I looked at each other and began to smile with joy. Even after all that had happened. Ria turned to Frodo and crawled into his lap and said.  
  
"Daddy."  
  
*****  
  
A/N: My last chapter. ::wipes away a tear:: It's been fun guys. Really it has. Funny, eh? First story had a happy ending. This one has a sad ending. What will the next one bring? I have no idea.  
  
Billy Connelly: It'll bring a fuckin' big pay check to your pocket.  
  
Risty: Shut the fuck up, you smart assed reject of a tour guide!  
  
Billy Connelly: Oh that hurts. I'm going to host my TV show now.  
  
Risty: Fine. See ya on the telly! See you guys later. Love you all! 


End file.
